tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44470207728091504782020-06-06T23:54:39.098-04:00TempoSenzaTempoA photo gallery of timeless musiciansMike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.comBlogger503125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-48964395660612976602020-06-06T16:36:00.002-04:002020-06-06T16:36:44.164-04:00Until We Meet Again!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KzEY3oJFqkU/XtrWoktgKpI/AAAAAAAAUvw/CU8Djnn2Pl8yBNGNEFn_eXzAfDcrdeY7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Auf%2BWiedersehen%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1430" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KzEY3oJFqkU/XtrWoktgKpI/AAAAAAAAUvw/CU8Djnn2Pl8yBNGNEFn_eXzAfDcrdeY7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Auf%2BWiedersehen%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="572" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">&nbsp;A fine portrait<br />invites the viewer<br />to read the mind of its subject.<br />We study the eyes,<br />consider the posture,<br />examine the gestures<br />and deduce <br />thoughts, feelings, and emotions<br />as skillfully guided by the artist.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iGbcKedZtQI/XtrW3QM48gI/AAAAAAAAUv4/ptkgjxPOQpI-DxNXi1e9iIXwSvAL3m1VwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Damen%2BOrkester%2B1899%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1265" height="444" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iGbcKedZtQI/XtrW3QM48gI/AAAAAAAAUv4/ptkgjxPOQpI-DxNXi1e9iIXwSvAL3m1VwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Damen%2BOrkester%2B1899%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">With a larger group<br />the artist has more opportunity <br />to depict individual personalities<br />or a collected spirit.<br />The multiple faces <br />appeal to our human experience<br />and the viewer feels that they too <br />are present in the moment<br />of the picture.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PkZZyRv-l5I/XtrWwseoxAI/AAAAAAAAUv0/vTrP79BLeEgCVs3euIwSK-OB9fkQ2qrvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Ade%2Bauf%2BWiedersehen%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1138" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PkZZyRv-l5I/XtrWwseoxAI/AAAAAAAAUv0/vTrP79BLeEgCVs3euIwSK-OB9fkQ2qrvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Ade%2Bauf%2BWiedersehen%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="454" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">When an accomplished artist<br />crafts an portrait<br />it also begs a question.<br />Who do we see?<br />What is going on with this person?<br />The artist places subtle clues<br />that lead us to answers<br />so anyone can recognize<br />that same occasion from their own life. </span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">This weekend I present another set of postcards<br />by the Austrian artist, <a href="https://www.martindulouvre.com/artists/torggler/" target="_blank">Herman Torggler,</a> (1878-1939).<br />I've featured his etchings of charming young women before <br />in <a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2019/03/austrian-postcard-girls.html" target="_blank">The Girls of Austrian Postcards,</a> <br /><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2019/08/up-up-and-away.html" target="_blank">Up, Up, and Away!,</a> <br /><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2019/11/ein-schones-madchen.html" target="_blank">Ein schönes Mädchen,</a><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2019/11/ein-schones-madchen.html"> </a><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2020/01/to-your-health.html" target="_blank"><br />To Your Health!</a><br />and <a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2020/04/dont-forget-to-write.html" target="_blank">Don't Forget to Write!</a></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KGEusfvyALE/XtrW78I1YNI/AAAAAAAAUwA/7cZEoxNWYAg8jZZStDBcWOPiKRxw-cNpwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Auf%2BWiedersehen%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1069" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KGEusfvyALE/XtrW78I1YNI/AAAAAAAAUwA/7cZEoxNWYAg8jZZStDBcWOPiKRxw-cNpwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Auf%2BWiedersehen%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />The first image shows a young woman standing at the window of train carriage. She is richly attired&nbsp; with a fine feathered hat, and extravagant dress with a very large frilled collar. Herr Torggler turns&nbsp; her gaze directly into our eyes. She seems paused in thought, about to say something. <b><i>Ade, auf Wiedersehen!</i> </b>is the caption. Farewell, until we meet again. <br /><br />The postcard was sent 3 October 1900 to Fräulein Johanna Schauf of Nottuln, a town between Coesfeld and Münster in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is near the Netherlands border and was a settlement since at least 4000 BC. Nuttuln translates from early German as "Nut Wood".<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DHCYj1yT_zo/XtrXN9leKyI/AAAAAAAAUwM/rOh-7i1hI1Y6LiQxf5pQ28bFismqccKoACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Auf%2BWiedersehen%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="1400" height="422" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DHCYj1yT_zo/XtrXN9leKyI/AAAAAAAAUwM/rOh-7i1hI1Y6LiQxf5pQ28bFismqccKoACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Auf%2BWiedersehen%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u5rYenukuY8/XtrXS3xpnyI/AAAAAAAAUwQ/LWqdZ6LoKn8C07xpYYKv_hWHqJlb_i9pQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Damen%2BOrkester%2B1899%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1600" height="416" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u5rYenukuY8/XtrXS3xpnyI/AAAAAAAAUwQ/LWqdZ6LoKn8C07xpYYKv_hWHqJlb_i9pQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Damen%2BOrkester%2B1899%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The second etching is my favorite because it is the postcard that first attracted my interest in Herman Torggler's work. It illustrates a lively rehearsal of a <i>Damenkapelle </i>or Ladies Orchestra. The caption title is <b><i>Generalprobe, </i></b>or Dress Rehearsal. Seven young women are making music in a small room. They play violin, cello, piano, flute, horn, cymbals, and are led by an enthusiastic conductor who has thrown her arms wide as if the music has reached a rousing finale.&nbsp; <br /><br />The postmark on this card 5 May 1899 matches the date of the message carefully written around all four sides of the border. The writer also jokingly adds that the <i>Generalprobe unter Direktion von Fr. B. Vach</i>, which I'm guessing refers to themselves or the recipient. It was sent from Bayern, i.e. Bavaria,&nbsp; to Fräulein Irma Becker of Vacha, a town in Thuringia, more or less in the very center of Germany. In this era of the German Empire it was located in the Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6dsHbLBS-ag/XtrXWULkQ2I/AAAAAAAAUwU/9NKNIOCed4cr6joKRKjgWa-B4v7v96rOwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Damen%2BOrkester%2B1899%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1196" height="406" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6dsHbLBS-ag/XtrXWULkQ2I/AAAAAAAAUwU/9NKNIOCed4cr6joKRKjgWa-B4v7v96rOwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Damen%2BOrkester%2B1899%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R4CHBClcm2M/XtrXrRkqt5I/AAAAAAAAUwg/USsoDTSrgVgj8e6nAXx3hWjH-iq36iJIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Ade%2Bauf%2BWiedersehen%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1044" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R4CHBClcm2M/XtrXrRkqt5I/AAAAAAAAUwg/USsoDTSrgVgj8e6nAXx3hWjH-iq36iJIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Ade%2Bauf%2BWiedersehen%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="416" /></a></div><br />The third etching of Torggler is also entitled <i>Ade, auf Wiedersehen!</i> and shows a woman inside a train carriage compartment in an opposite perspective to the one in the first postcard. However this woman is dressed differently, wearing a proper traveling jacket and modest straw hat. Beside her satchel on the floor is a bouquet of flowers. She is engrossed in writing a message on a postcard. The sender has underlined the caption title and added the initials <i><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">K. S.</span></b></span></i> onto the woman's card in the picture.<br /><br />Like the previous postcard this one was mailed with a Bavarian postal stamp. The publisher of all of Torggler's postcards was <i>Fr. A. Acker,amm. Kunstverlag</i> of München. It was sent from Munich on 19 June 1899 to <i>Hochwohlgeboren </i>(highly born) <i>Cf...</i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(?)</span> <i>Richard Stury.</i>&nbsp; The address stumped me for a bit, as it starts simply with <i>Hier</i>, meaning Here, in this city, München.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XdniDNZdGyA/XtrXwskypZI/AAAAAAAAUwk/Y3BMataN4Rw6XcCO7K91A6alHt7VWJ2PwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Ade%2Bauf%2BWiedersehen%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="917" data-original-width="1400" height="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XdniDNZdGyA/XtrXwskypZI/AAAAAAAAUwk/Y3BMataN4Rw6XcCO7K91A6alHt7VWJ2PwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Ade%2Bauf%2BWiedersehen%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I know a little bit about München and I confirmed a hunch that the street address, Maximilianstrasse 29, is a prime location in the center of the city just inside the Ring road. The 5 story building still stands as it must have looked in 1899 with ritzy shops on the ground floor and apartments/offices above. It is a also very close to Munich's opera house and other theaters, so I did a search for the name Richard Stury.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ftS1h4trnOU/XtulCJbVIHI/AAAAAAAAUw0/-x5kA3HHy00ZceXH7Rbv6sEgWG_6G4HtgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Richard%2BStury%2BFaust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="513" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ftS1h4trnOU/XtulCJbVIHI/AAAAAAAAUw0/-x5kA3HHy00ZceXH7Rbv6sEgWG_6G4HtgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Richard%2BStury%2BFaust.jpg" width="405" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard Stury, K. B. Hofschauspieler<br />as "Faust"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />It turns out that <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=vwBdDAAAQBAJ&amp;lpg=PA664&amp;dq=Hofschauspieler%20Richard%20Stury&amp;pg=PA595#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false" target="_blank">Richard Stury</a> (1859–1928) was a noted German actor, famous for his roles at the Munich National Theater from 1887 to 1906.&nbsp; He played the lead in two plays of Friedrich Schiller: <i>Don Carlos</i> and <i>Wilhelm Tell</i>; in Shakespeare's <i>Othello</i>;&nbsp; and in Goethe's great tragic two-part drama, <i>Faust</i>. Richard Stury is pictured here in costume for his role as Faust on a souvenir postcard from around 1900. <br /><br />It was during a performance of Faust part II, that Stury was seriously injured when a stage apparatus malfunctioned just as his character Faust flies across the stage. Stury suffered a concussion and never fully recovered. Poor health forced him to retire from the stage in 1906, but he remained an important teacher of dramatic arts. Today in Munich, <a href="https://www.richard-stury-stiftung.de/" target="_blank">Die Richard Stury Stiftung</a>, operates&nbsp; a foundation in his name for promotion of the performing and visual arts. <br />&nbsp; <br />Ironically the date of that accident was 12 October 1899, not quite 4 months after Stury received Herman Torggler's charming postcard from <i>K.S</i>.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Herman Torggler's delightful drawings are simple examples of the sentimental art popular in late 19th and early 20th century Europe. They are like confections, trifle bonbons of eye candy created for pleasurable visual consumption. Evidently his postcards were very successful, to judge from the variety listed on postcard dealers' websites, and were sold throughout Germany, Austria, Switzerland and even France too. Of course it is Torggler's depiction of musicians and musical instruments that attracts my interest in collecting his work, but I find his skillful rendering of female portraits very captivating too. <br /><br />What intrigues me most is that Herman Torggler's work was popular at the very beginning of the age of postcards. It was a new kind of social media, cheap to produce, easy to sell, and fun for people to to consume. Like candy.<br /><br />We recognize the allure of his young women because they resemble the millions of similar images used in commercial art of our time. Yet in 1899 Torggler is not really selling anything except a pretty picture that captures our attention. Just a few years later, photographers would be able to capture this same quality of charisma in real live models for a fraction of the technical effort. But Torggler's work is made entirely from his imagination. We do not see these portraits through a camera lens. They come straight from the artist's eye. That's the power of art.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/06/sepia-saturday-523-6-june-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a><br />where it's all just window dressing.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/06/sepia-saturday-523-6-june-2020.html" target="_blank"><img alt="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/06/sepia-saturday-523-6-june-2020.html" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xwug-rWxtlI/Xtkcv0y3MAI/AAAAAAACDM4/ZR2mivAEf_QDj9-gec2md2zhv7rHyYQjwCPcBGAsYHg/s400/20.05.388z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-11505913652059201042020-05-30T12:55:00.002-04:002020-05-30T12:55:35.603-04:00Art in a Time of War<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ySboFFvwFIc/XtBnEbH3o9I/AAAAAAAAUrw/1LKCC5nsVyUY3-cbF1XkR_Hzh5tlXx2AgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sandplastik%2BKazak%2Btst%2BE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1086" height="628" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ySboFFvwFIc/XtBnEbH3o9I/AAAAAAAAUrw/1LKCC5nsVyUY3-cbF1XkR_Hzh5tlXx2AgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Sandplastik%2BKazak%2Btst%2BE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">For a brief moment <br />the photographer is the center of attention.<br />The eyes of every soldier,<br />French, Russian, even German,<br />are focused on the camera<br />as it records a special occasion.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">We know it is wartime <br />as the years 1914-15<br />are marked out with small pebbles <br />on the ground in front of the men.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">But why would <br />so many soldiers of different armies <br />engaged in a terrible global conflict<br />be peacefully gathered together?<br />&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">For art appreciation of course.<br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">They were a captive audience.<br />&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V8SXZJp_R8A/XtBnW5kZbrI/AAAAAAAAUr8/tG2_ejd3gEQ6azSAByPolGQL0tTzTjzHQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sandplastik%2BKazak%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1370" data-original-width="1400" height="626" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V8SXZJp_R8A/XtBnW5kZbrI/AAAAAAAAUr8/tG2_ejd3gEQ6azSAByPolGQL0tTzTjzHQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Sandplastik%2BKazak%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The soldiers are gathered around a giant relief sculpture<br /> of a <i>Kazak </i>or Cossack cavalryman <br />astride a black horse with his lance and sword.</span></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1adGbcSMJSo/XtEt1xzqGSI/AAAAAAAAUuI/qigFxOuMAAg8PoaIGHspbhwAyLGd-sKdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Russian%2BCossack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="851" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1adGbcSMJSo/XtEt1xzqGSI/AAAAAAAAUuI/qigFxOuMAAg8PoaIGHspbhwAyLGd-sKdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Russian%2BCossack.jpg" width="453" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Russian Cossack print 1813<br />Source: <a href="https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:248355/" target="_blank">Brown University Digital Repository</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cossacks" target="_blank">Cossack people</a> came from the steppes north of the Black Sea<br />and were famed for their fierce mounted warriors.<br />Throughout European history, <br />the Cossack on horseback<br />has remained a poplar romantic image <br />and powerful symbol of Russia,<br />as seen in this print from 1813 <br />and a postage stamp from 2011. </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MvvE9F23FU4/XtBoHH9-NRI/AAAAAAAAUsU/d9EBOeKQpK8vLu8xGQcq5yPorz4d1dZHACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Don-Cossack-Army%2BRussia%2B15p%2B2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="490" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MvvE9F23FU4/XtBoHH9-NRI/AAAAAAAAUsU/d9EBOeKQpK8vLu8xGQcq5yPorz4d1dZHACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Don-Cossack-Army%2BRussia%2B15p%2B2011.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2011 Russia 15p postage stamp</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The sculpture of the <i>Kazak </i>lancer also resembles <br />the mounted horseman in the Russian Imperial medal,<br />the Cross of the Order of St. George,<br />Russia's highest military award.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DCkZ9m6MnOA/XtG9MxYxhLI/AAAAAAAAUu8/KseUINk2JkM08BU2U8dpNxjzxVz9zoIggCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Order_of_St._George%252C_4th_class.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="536" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DCkZ9m6MnOA/XtG9MxYxhLI/AAAAAAAAUu8/KseUINk2JkM08BU2U8dpNxjzxVz9zoIggCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Order_of_St._George%252C_4th_class.jpg" width="357" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russian Imperial medal<br />Order of St. George, 4th class</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The full image shows <br />that the relief sculpture <br />is about 6 meters square,<br />presumably carved from <br />a mixture of sand, plaster, or lime.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2nTK8R_FKIY/XtBne6y0ZJI/AAAAAAAAUsE/KjRQUnjxDu4lWBNmXoDQ8DvzUYa_OyuRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sandplastik%2BKazak%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1600" height="408" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2nTK8R_FKIY/XtBne6y0ZJI/AAAAAAAAUsE/KjRQUnjxDu4lWBNmXoDQ8DvzUYa_OyuRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Sandplastik%2BKazak%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The caption reads:</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Sandplastik ausgeführt<br />von Kriegsgefangenen </i><br />~<br />Sand sculpture executed<br />by Prisoners of War</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Gefangenen Lager<br />Königsbrück<br />1915</span><br /> </span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uLMqftdK0r0/XtBoX6NnF7I/AAAAAAAAUsg/q0JSow3R-xgXAYGoH6Fpf-K6LOxeT-XHQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sandplastik%2BKazak%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="1400" height="409" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uLMqftdK0r0/XtBoX6NnF7I/AAAAAAAAUsg/q0JSow3R-xgXAYGoH6Fpf-K6LOxeT-XHQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Sandplastik%2BKazak%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The back is stamped in a very official German manner that clearly identifies the Königsbrück lazarett hospital and prisoner of war camp. Königsbrück is a small town in Saxony, south of Berlin. In the early 20th century it was the site of a military training center and when the war began in 1914 it was quickly converted into a prison camp. Königsbrück was one of nearly 300 detention centers constructed in Germany for enemy soldiers captured on both the western front and the eastern front. In the first month of the war after the defeat of the Russian forces at the Battle of Tannenberg, the German military command had to contend with over 100,000 captured Russian soldiers. The next month September 1914 brought similar numbers of Belgian and French soldiers taken prisoner. By 1917 the camp at Königsbrück was reported to house 15,000 POWs. By the end of the war in 1918 Germany held&nbsp;2,400,000 soldiers of the allied forces.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iNEhrAdMUDU/XtE536FJ0iI/AAAAAAAAUuc/qroCcMbEeoAbgJ3-57OJaFrUPKnUZLjIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/K%25C3%25B6nigsbr%25C3%25BCck%2BPOW%2BCamp%2B1914-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1440" height="466" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iNEhrAdMUDU/XtE536FJ0iI/AAAAAAAAUuc/qroCcMbEeoAbgJ3-57OJaFrUPKnUZLjIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/K%25C3%25B6nigsbr%25C3%25BCck%2BPOW%2BCamp%2B1914-18.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map of Prisoner or War Camps in Germany<br />during WW1 (1914–1918)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">A second photo postcard taken around the same time shows another group of soldiers, this time with more French than Russian, assembled around another sand sculpture. This one shows a woman sowing seed as the sun rises. It is labeled <i><b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">France</span></b></i>.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yIKsZJ3C1PY/Xs__lqlVSMI/AAAAAAAAUro/GlnK4rDEJqk8Qiq04yFy45_UlmWCuCvYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sandplastik%2BFrance%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1286" data-original-width="1400" height="586" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yIKsZJ3C1PY/Xs__lqlVSMI/AAAAAAAAUro/GlnK4rDEJqk8Qiq04yFy45_UlmWCuCvYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Sandplastik%2BFrance%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AbMurLPq3Vk/XtE5mx-qEaI/AAAAAAAAUuU/y2DW8ZhN_GobDuM0WYdZOzH6Sq5e5bRigCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Oscar%2BRoty%2B%2BOne%2BFranc%2B1907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="550" height="397" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AbMurLPq3Vk/XtE5mx-qEaI/AAAAAAAAUuU/y2DW8ZhN_GobDuM0WYdZOzH6Sq5e5bRigCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Oscar%2BRoty%2B%2BOne%2BFranc%2B1907.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">France 1 franc coin, 1907 <br />Source: CoinfactsWiki,com</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The figure is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne" target="_blank">Marianne</a>, <br />the iconic symbol of the Republic of France.<br />Here she is rendered on the one franc coin <br />as&nbsp;<i>La semeuse</i> ~ the sower<br />from a design by&nbsp; Oscar Roty, (1846–1911)<br />the noted French medalist.<br />The same female symbol<br />appeared on French postage stamps.</span></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MpxaJTzs64E/XtBo2BBd-7I/AAAAAAAAUsw/p7hYPS5bh80ZbsrnWJUgSnUQbZw_xj_7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/10C%2BRep%2BFrancaise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MpxaJTzs64E/XtBo2BBd-7I/AAAAAAAAUsw/p7hYPS5bh80ZbsrnWJUgSnUQbZw_xj_7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/10C%2BRep%2BFrancaise.jpg" width="343" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">France, 10c postage stamp 1910</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like the other relief sculpture,&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">this giant figure of Marianne<br />measures about 6 meters square <br />and is painted.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PZYPfGVH5YE/XtBpAQ4pVHI/AAAAAAAAUs0/wwRSCScKjssXa-wD4ajCHWuHAWhdeEqUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sandplastik%2BFrance%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PZYPfGVH5YE/XtBpAQ4pVHI/AAAAAAAAUs0/wwRSCScKjssXa-wD4ajCHWuHAWhdeEqUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Sandplastik%2BFrance%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The photo is also captioned like the other postcard,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Sandplastik ausgeführt</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>von Kriegsgefangenen&nbsp;</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">~</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Sand sculpture executed</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">by Prisoners of War<br />Königsbrück 1915</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q5-g6WpX7ac/XtBpF_B1ERI/AAAAAAAAUs8/1JOBErVovEsRAhtrLkTs9lIftkGh7K-uwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sandplastik%2BFrance%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q5-g6WpX7ac/XtBpF_B1ERI/AAAAAAAAUs8/1JOBErVovEsRAhtrLkTs9lIftkGh7K-uwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Sandplastik%2BFrance%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />It was posted by a French soldier, Maurice Georgin, a corporal in the 37e Regiment du Infanterie to his family in Nancy, formerly the capital of the Duchy of Lorraine, and the French province of the same name. In 1915 Lorraine and Alsace were part of Germany, a prize from the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, but Nancy remained part of France.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1f8rqk9MEpw/XtBqTL-6YSI/AAAAAAAAUtg/UhgDLaaB5estUf13RyDBNoPXsgmxELPtACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Gefangene%2BFranzossen%2B2%2B%2Btst%2BA.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="1600" height="412" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1f8rqk9MEpw/XtBqTL-6YSI/AAAAAAAAUtg/UhgDLaaB5estUf13RyDBNoPXsgmxELPtACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Gefangene%2BFranzossen%2B2%2B%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />I have been unable to get a proper English translation of the German word <i>Sandplastik</i>. I suspect it is a plaster like concoction, made principally, or entirely, of sand, as sand is sand in both languages. Königsbrück seems to have had a lot of it. This postcard shows French POWs laboring with shovels and carts in a sand pit, and the postmark is from&nbsp;Königsbrück dated 25 February 1915.&nbsp; This work, digging up a basic material for building construction, may have been the inspiration for making these works of art.<br /><br />I used this image in my story from January 2019,&nbsp;<a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-prisoners-of-konigsbruck.html" target="_blank">The Prisoners of Königsbrück</a>. For some unknown reason, perhaps a photographer secured military contract to produce propaganda postcards, the camp at Königsbrück is documented in more photographs than any other POW camp. I have quite a few relating to the music and theater at the camp which I plan to present in the near future.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qZlsFV284bQ/XtBqd81SONI/AAAAAAAAUto/AlOy4CNQVEof8epdqH5ZzI48Fi7YBdyrgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Gefangene%2BFranzossen%2B2%2B%2Btst%2BB.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="1500" height="406" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qZlsFV284bQ/XtBqd81SONI/AAAAAAAAUto/AlOy4CNQVEof8epdqH5ZzI48Fi7YBdyrgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Gefangene%2BFranzossen%2B2%2B%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The last photo is another representation of national pride. <br />It shows two profiles carefully carved into sand.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3rxsgI1-9Mc/XtBp3ZXkSKI/AAAAAAAAUtI/PhAmVBbfnaQgzdbIkoOzCVCx5H-yYu63QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sandplastik%2BTwo%2BKaisers%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1309" data-original-width="1465" height="570" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3rxsgI1-9Mc/XtBp3ZXkSKI/AAAAAAAAUtI/PhAmVBbfnaQgzdbIkoOzCVCx5H-yYu63QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Sandplastik%2BTwo%2BKaisers%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">On the left is <br />His Imperial and Royal Majesty,<br />Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859–1941)<br />of Prussia and Germany.<br />The likeness looks very like<br />the Kaiser's image on Prussian coins.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mIVd-minF80/XtE_Rcy4GLI/AAAAAAAAUuo/03Ej39whrPY6KZIqyuKP3pR3DLUaz6Y3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Prussia%2B1908%2B5-mark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="800" height="316" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mIVd-minF80/XtE_Rcy4GLI/AAAAAAAAUuo/03Ej39whrPY6KZIqyuKP3pR3DLUaz6Y3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Prussia%2B1908%2B5-mark.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prussian 5 mark coin 1908<br />Source: CoinfactsWiki.com</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WtaW3hDlZOA/XtBp8qbQCEI/AAAAAAAAUtM/RUncxQ26Z_gmDAjNk7pe_MsvEBaKni4kwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sandplastik%2BTwo%2BKaisers%2Btst%2BE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1309" data-original-width="1465" height="570" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WtaW3hDlZOA/XtBp8qbQCEI/AAAAAAAAUtM/RUncxQ26Z_gmDAjNk7pe_MsvEBaKni4kwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Sandplastik%2BTwo%2BKaisers%2Btst%2BE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">On the right, facing Wilhelm,<br />is His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty,<br />Kaiser Franz Josef (1830–1916),<br />Emperor of Austria,<br />and King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia.<br />His image is a close match to the one<br />used on Austria's corona coins.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4cpPOYNrPNU/XtFAA9GIvjI/AAAAAAAAUuw/BFuKyif3sr8RhemCz4k2hLm7Zk684gUtQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Austria%2B10%2Bcorona%2B1911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4cpPOYNrPNU/XtFAA9GIvjI/AAAAAAAAUuw/BFuKyif3sr8RhemCz4k2hLm7Zk684gUtQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Austria%2B10%2Bcorona%2B1911.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Austria 10 corona coin, 1911<br />Source: Coinfactswiki.com</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Together the two profiles are carved<br />into a large sand box about 6 meters square.<br />The painting alone is impressive&nbsp;<br />for the extra ornamentation<br />of an imperial crown and cross.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_07Y5EzCmLw/XtBqDezbztI/AAAAAAAAUtQ/LlmbOHiUrfMRFoolGzujV1849fSFwgeeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sandplastik%2BTwo%2BKaisers%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="1600" height="406" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_07Y5EzCmLw/XtBqDezbztI/AAAAAAAAUtQ/LlmbOHiUrfMRFoolGzujV1849fSFwgeeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Sandplastik%2BTwo%2BKaisers%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">But what is most striking <br />about this photo postcard<br />is that unlike the other two<br />here there are no soldiers in front of the camera.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The street is empty,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">a subtle reminder that<br />the creators of this sculpture<br />were still foes of the two Kaisers.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LUTc8Vr79H8/XtBqIB-19RI/AAAAAAAAUtU/ttJWNxSV5b8WLPrRCGJsFJNyfaONcVXwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sandplastik%2BTwo%2BKaisers%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1600" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LUTc8Vr79H8/XtBqIB-19RI/AAAAAAAAUtU/ttJWNxSV5b8WLPrRCGJsFJNyfaONcVXwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Sandplastik%2BTwo%2BKaisers%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />This card was sent in a letter by a German man, presumably a soldier serving in the Königsbrück camp guard. The photographer was Carl Schmidt of Königsbrück and Berlin.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">* * *</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I've been unable to find any information on the occasion that inspired these impressive art installations at the Königsbrück POW camp. Finding examples of the postcard series with clear postmarks is difficult, but a rough estimate dates this prison artwork to June/July 1915. Was it for a memorial? A celebration of sorts for the anniversary of the war? These are questions that may never have answers.<br /><br />It seems clear that the art was produced by the imprisoned soldiers. There were likely many French and Russian artisans there who were employed before the war in the decorative sculpting and carving trades for architecture, metalcrafts, pottery, and furniture. Some may have been trained in fine arts of painting and engraving.&nbsp; There may be more installations made in the Königsbrück camp as I know of at least one more giant relief monument to the German free state of Saxony. I do not see any British uniforms in the crowd of soldiers, but if there were, it seems likely that there would be something commemorating Britain.&nbsp; <br /><br />The common shared element in these three works is national pride. The soldiers' choice of art subjects shows their desire to honor their homeland and salute their heritage. That they were allowed to do this and would reciprocate with a respectful design for the monarchs of Germany and Austria is a remarkable example of fraternity and decency.<br /><br />In a way it also shows an optimism that the war would soon end. But as the calendar pages turned from 1915 to 1916, then 1917, and 1918, the soldiers' proud bright faces that we see looking into the camera undoubtedly changed to a darker, more grim countenance. Imprisonment may have saved these men from the horrible violence of the war, but it also stole some of their dignity and left them with many distressing issues to reconcile after the war. But for a time, however brief, they were united in an appreciation of art.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/05/sepia-saturday-522-30-may-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a><br />where we never know what treasure <br />Alan may dig up.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/05/sepia-saturday-522-30-may-2020.html" target="_blank"><img alt="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/05/sepia-saturday-522-30-may-2020.html" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cdznmmK7veo/Xs_Fom9dNoI/AAAAAAACCu8/tnZyWskpfhwm0e7he_tp5BBnZOaz8K93QCPcBGAsYHg/s400/20.05.244.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-80769556593938933432020-05-23T15:24:00.004-04:002020-05-23T19:41:13.978-04:00The Novelty Musical Artists<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dPG5Z2OsSoQ/XscjYPNuJ_I/AAAAAAAAUo0/NqX4nfIGGWEjn8RAUFiBKzmQ2ueAtWsFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chicago%2BBanjo%2BDuo%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1100" height="572" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dPG5Z2OsSoQ/XscjYPNuJ_I/AAAAAAAAUo0/NqX4nfIGGWEjn8RAUFiBKzmQ2ueAtWsFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chicago%2BBanjo%2BDuo%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A micro-story fabricated<br />from two cabinet card photographs</span></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Maybe he should have stayed home today, thought Gus. Between random hammering from the stage crew for the new set to the rhythmic clatter of tap shoes in that new dance act, his headache was not going to get any rest. Why did that pianist have to play so damn loud? He groaned and downed the rest of his coffee. At his age staying up for a Friday night card game would cost him much more than his winnings, or in the case of last night, his losings. Whatever made him think to bet against a magician? <i>Professor </i>Berkell, my eye. What college teaches you to be a card sharp? Stupid luck. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"Jules," he shouted. "More coffee!" Gus rubbed his eyes and picked up the latest New York Clipper. He flipped through a few pages of the trade paper scanning the dense type for any news of the acts he'd hired this season. The theater circuits were pretty lively this year.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">The door to his office opened and a stout young man with a wispy blonde mustache entered carrying a tray with a coffee pot and a tall stack of mail. "Here's some fresh ink, Uncle Gus," he said. "Nice and hot. I put sugar and cream on the side in case your tummy needs some relief too." He pointed to the letters and packets. "You want me to sort them for you? Hide the bills from Aunt Milly?" He grinned. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"Yeah, sure," Gus grimaced. "That's the first job of an assistant theatre manager." He refilled his cup, leaned his chair back, and put his feet up on the desk. Outside his window the sky was darkening. After a minute or two, he looked up from the paper. "Anything to report from the show last night? What's the take?"&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"Not good," said Jules. "Maybe half of last weekend. And that's counting both shows. The rain's supposed to let up this afternoon so maybe folks will come into town. Mr. Ritchie sent a note this morning. Says he ain't feeling well, so his trick cycle bit is out. But Mr. Parker said he could add another turn with his dogs to fill the slot. He has a goat cart that folks haven't seen before." </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Gus grunted, he knew what ailed Richie. Little guy drank enough for three last night. Probably couldn't keep his balance if his bicycle had five wheels. He went back to studying the Clipper's adverts. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Jules finished separating the post and picked out one larger package. Taking a penknife he cut the twine binding it and unwrapped a letter with a set of photos. "Say, Uncle Gus. Here's a novelty duo that might play well here. Take a look at this ol' fellow and his gal playing banjo and guitar." He passed a card photo to his uncle.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s_t-7V7O9lI/XsclGGBamyI/AAAAAAAAUo8/QJi01C280Uk4ooJWf-BzETF_bHpgc-UFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chicago%2BBanjo%2BDuo%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1079" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s_t-7V7O9lI/XsclGGBamyI/AAAAAAAAUo8/QJi01C280Uk4ooJWf-BzETF_bHpgc-UFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chicago%2BBanjo%2BDuo%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="430" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"Hmmph," snorted Gus. "Hayseed Reuben meets rich big city socialite. That's an original. Where have I seen that before?" He waved at the hundreds of entertainer photos pinned to the walls of his office. Gus handed the photo back to Jules. "What's the matter with her? She don't look like she appreciates having her strings plucked. They got a name?"</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"They call themselves Fitz and Frazier. Say they're at liberty next month. Something about a tent show that went bust." Jules turned the letter over. "They're looking for bookings on the route back to Boston. One night or a week." </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Gus turned back to his paper. "Banjos are ten cents a dozen now, and there's not much noise in a guitar. What else can they do?"</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Jules put another photo on the desk. "Country boys don't usually play saxophone to their cows, uncle. This bit's not your typical minstrel routine. Looks like they got a tenor and a soprano sax."</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kYYls5w09wg/XsclLKv9aeI/AAAAAAAAUpA/zn2TaZFEfnA0p7wvqFILiP3fciELeZVRACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chicago%2BSax%2BDuo%2Btst%2BE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1332" data-original-width="1100" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kYYls5w09wg/XsclLKv9aeI/AAAAAAAAUpA/zn2TaZFEfnA0p7wvqFILiP3fciELeZVRACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chicago%2BSax%2BDuo%2Btst%2BE.jpg" width="528" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Gus turned over the second photo and paused in thought. "Okay, this is novel. I'll give them that. A comic sketch with a pair of saxophones ought to wake up the loafers sleeping in the balcony." he scratched his head. "But I still don't get her. She looks like she swallowed a plug of tobacco and is trying to decide whether to spit or ..." Gus started to snicker but it changed into a hacking cough that made him spill coffee on his vest. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dz1bG9CyovA/XsclO3bZGjI/AAAAAAAAUpE/kpYe2B9HRvMHQfbjVdRs28bQaYuhbEhDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chicago%2BSax%2BDuo%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1034" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dz1bG9CyovA/XsclO3bZGjI/AAAAAAAAUpE/kpYe2B9HRvMHQfbjVdRs28bQaYuhbEhDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chicago%2BSax%2BDuo%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="411" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Jules chuckled handing him a towel. "Says here, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald—that's their real names—played good dates last fall in Seattle and San Francisco. They come with a bunch of other instruments. The Mrs.—Mamie is her name—she plays handbells, cornet and violin too. You know the Knights of the Golden Arches have their state convention here next month. With the Tracey trio breaking up after Doris ran off with that Italian trapeze fella, we got a hole in our lineup that week. We could use some novelty musical artists to replace their s</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">ong and dance numbers." </span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Z2C3ZDmT9s/XsclTVGy6AI/AAAAAAAAUpI/Ro9KyMxe_h4WGmqpAyqfPAhaDBJGZZPMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chicago%2BSax%2BDuo%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1106" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Z2C3ZDmT9s/XsclTVGy6AI/AAAAAAAAUpI/Ro9KyMxe_h4WGmqpAyqfPAhaDBJGZZPMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chicago%2BSax%2BDuo%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="442" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Gus turned to stare out the window where the rain had returned. "All right. You write to them about dates that week with the usual guarantees, etcetera, etcetera. Tell them we want refined material and decent skits. No bum work. The Majestic Theatre caters to a family crowd." He watched the rain splatter on the marquee below his window. "Mostly. Except when it rains."</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"Sure thing, Unk." Jules picked up the tray and scattered papers. "I'll get it out to the post office before this afternoon's matinee." He turned toward the door. "You gonna stay around today?"</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Gus sighed. "Maybe. Let me know when the Professor takes his turn. I want to check his bit with the three cards again. I still don't understand how it works." He turned the two photos over. Harris of Chicago was the photographer, corner of West Ohio Street and Milwaukee Avenue. Not far from the theatre district, if he remembered correctly. Seems like a classy studio. So why couldn't they get the dame to smile?&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Gus shuddered. He'd seen that kind of face before. It was like when the sky turns another shade of grey just before the storm hits. Just like Mildred's face when she learns he's been out for a late night of poker.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">With a shiver he threw the two photos into his desk drawer. Maybe he should find a reason to stay around for the second show.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oIoMAl04RDM/XsclbPr-nbI/AAAAAAAAUpU/69TLfifAfosUxHbeh6n3h0iv6ceY5AQ6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chicago%2BSax%2BDuo%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oIoMAl04RDM/XsclbPr-nbI/AAAAAAAAUpU/69TLfifAfosUxHbeh6n3h0iv6ceY5AQ6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Chicago%2BSax%2BDuo%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br />Sometimes old photos come with really good clues but they still fail to reveal their true history. So instead I get to make up my own story. In this case I've tried to illustrate the purpose of a vaudeville entertainer's promotional photograph.<br /><br />With these two images we see two musicians dressed in incongruous stage costumes. The man in his big straw hat, farmer's boots, and scrubby duster coat fits a stereotype of the country bumpkin or rube. The woman in her glamorous sequined gown looks the part of a matron of upper-class urban society. Both were familiar character types of American theater and literature in the 1890s, which is the period for their fashions and their over-sized cabinet card photographs. Their trick banjo/guitar style, (take a second look if you missed their hand positions) identifies the couple as performing in the comic genre of novelty musical artists.<br /><br />On the back of the banjo/guitar duo's photo is a name, <b>Mamie Frazier</b>,&nbsp; written large in ink. Despite my best effort, I could not find any entertainer by that name, much less someone who played guitar and saxophone too. It doesn't help that it is very common name, which even in Chicago, Illinois, showed up too regularly to fix an identification. But if we look closely both the man and woman wear wedding bands on their left hands so it seems probable that they were married to each other. Stage names that used alliteration was also a bet on an old showbiz tradition.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2KxbZUI1l2U/XscliON2kZI/AAAAAAAAUpc/naRxvTqjPywsIpjJ7aA0wtk7s-4ybPVEACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chicago%2BBanjo%2BDuo%2Btst%2BBB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1215" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2KxbZUI1l2U/XscliON2kZI/AAAAAAAAUpc/naRxvTqjPywsIpjJ7aA0wtk7s-4ybPVEACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chicago%2BBanjo%2BDuo%2Btst%2BBB.jpg" width="484" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />But it's their second photo holding tenor and soprano saxophones that is especially unique. These hybrid brass/woodwind instruments were still relatively "foreign" to American audiences in the late 19th century. The sound color of the saxophone family–soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass–was only beginning to be used in professional bands. And the notion of a saxophone playing a jazz solo would not be invented for another 25 years or so.<br /><br />When I searched for "saxophone duet" in newspapers from the 1890s, I came up with very few hits and even fewer that connected to vaudeville musical artists. But in the <i>New York Clipper,</i> the weekly trade magazine for theatrical arts, there was a mention of one couple in February 1893 that caught my attention.&nbsp; <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rzigRIcNgT0/XslQY3Iu8ZI/AAAAAAAAUps/Og6A_eQTulU-zZuxmW7dW4CpY-1jxiTUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1893-02-23%2BNew%2BYork%2BClipper%2B-%2BMrMrs%2BHolbrooks%2Bsax%2Bduet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="702" height="474" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rzigRIcNgT0/XslQY3Iu8ZI/AAAAAAAAUps/Og6A_eQTulU-zZuxmW7dW4CpY-1jxiTUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1893-02-23%2BNew%2BYork%2BClipper%2B-%2BMrMrs%2BHolbrooks%2Bsax%2Bduet.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>New York Clipper</i><br />23 February 1893</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"The Holbrooks are still winning much praise for their clever work with Dr. Goerss' Specialty Co. They are stationed for the present at Galesburg, Ill., and good business is reported. <b>Mr. and Mrs. Holbrook excell in their saxophone duet.</b> Both are accomplished and versatile musicians."</span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp; It's a short and succinct notice, likely supplied by the Holbrooks themselves. Self-promotion was another old showbiz tradition.<br /><br />But searching for this name in the New York Clipper, I learned that in 1891 that, <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"Al Decker has arranged for the Holbrooks a neat musical sketch, entitled "Down on the Farm.""&nbsp; </span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2je6Ti1HNmA/XslTF8twPBI/AAAAAAAAUp0/wDuEb54iGDUpxOgXnaae3DZsWY9myIGOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1891-10-03%2BNew%2BYork%2BClipper%2B-%2BMrMrs%2BHolbrooks%2Bsketch%2BDown%2Bon%2BFarm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="673" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2je6Ti1HNmA/XslTF8twPBI/AAAAAAAAUp0/wDuEb54iGDUpxOgXnaae3DZsWY9myIGOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1891-10-03%2BNew%2BYork%2BClipper%2B-%2BMrMrs%2BHolbrooks%2Bsketch%2BDown%2Bon%2BFarm.JPG" width="530" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>New York Clipper</i><br />3 October 1891</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The <i>Clipper </i>and similar national newspaper magazines like <i>Billboard</i>, and <i>Variety</i>, were the social media of this era for theatrical and circus performers, agents, managers, and supporting businesses. The pithy notes read like today's Twitter and Facebook feeds and were intended for people working in the entertainment world, and not for the general public. Letters to performers could be posted care of the <i>Clipper </i>to be picked up or sent to the addressee on the road. Like many artists, the Holbrooks took out regular advertisements in the <i>Clipper </i>to seek new bookings. Their full names were J. H. or Josh and Lizzie Holbrook,<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"> <i>America's Greatest Musical Artists</i></span>. The word "Great" was surely the most ubiquitous adjective of this era.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aF1lmT9f6h8/XslgelUcrWI/AAAAAAAAUp8/0T8yucs_qKkga9ZCvuICUN8CRQ1SyjpAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1893-04-08%2BNew%2BYork%2BClipper%2B-%2BJ_H%2B%2526%2BLizzie%2BHolbrooks%2BADVERT.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="719" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aF1lmT9f6h8/XslgelUcrWI/AAAAAAAAUp8/0T8yucs_qKkga9ZCvuICUN8CRQ1SyjpAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1893-04-08%2BNew%2BYork%2BClipper%2B-%2BJ_H%2B%2526%2BLizzie%2BHolbrooks%2BADVERT.JPG" width="582" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>New York Clipper</i><br />8 April 1893</td></tr></tbody></table>The Holbrooks lived in Sherborn, Massachusetts, just 20 miles west of Boston. Josh Holbrook was born in England and in the summer of 1894 he and his wife left America to play on the British music hall circuit. In June they appeared at Mr. Stoll's Panopticon in Cardiff, Wales. This "museum" venue presented a series of several tableaux of sentimental romantic paintings using live but static actors. In between these staged events were musical skits when the Holbrooks were featured.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V5Znaz9ncWc/XsllnBo3ABI/AAAAAAAAUqE/hXZ7p5kyXskGStDb96_XKYA6096sG7veQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1894-06-26%2BCardiff%2BWestern_Mail%2B-%2BHolbrooks%2BREVIEW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="585" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V5Znaz9ncWc/XsllnBo3ABI/AAAAAAAAUqE/hXZ7p5kyXskGStDb96_XKYA6096sG7veQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1894-06-26%2BCardiff%2BWestern_Mail%2B-%2BHolbrooks%2BREVIEW.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cardiff <i>Western Mail</i><br />26 June 1894</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"Prior to the tableaux, the Holbrooks, an American couple, contribute a splendid musical show. Miss Holbrook plays beautifully on the cornet, bells (a Yankee novelty) and a saxophone. On the latter instrument she is equally expert as Mr. Holbrook, who extracts sweet music from a banjo, cornet, and clarionet."</span></span><br /><br />By August 1894, London's Royal Aquarium advertised <i><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">The Holbrooks (J. H. and Lizzie)&nbsp; Instrumentalists, and the Lady Champion Saxophone, Cornet, and Post Horn Soloist.</span>&nbsp;</i>The post horn was described in another report as a coach horn, a long straight bugle used by the driver of a horse drawn stagecoach to signal arrival at the next station.<br /><br />By October 1894, the Holbrooks were back in the States performing as an act within a traveling variety show. Their musical and comedic talent on "novelty" instruments was enough to keep them get them on the <i>Clipper</i>'s notice boards through 1899. After that, they seem to have disappeared.<br /><br />It's very little to go on. Maybe there is a Mamie Frazier who played saxophone in vaudeville, but I think the name is not directly connected to the subjects of the two photos. The Holbrooks, on the other hand, played both saxophones and banjo. They advertised as a duo of novelty musical artists. The played a comic skit called "Down on the Farm". They promoted Lizzie Holbrook as a virtuoso soloist on saxophone and cornet. And more importantly they played around Chicago during the era for this kind of cabinet card photograph. That's a lot of curious coincidences.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It may not be proof, <br />but it is enough to make believe.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />Maybe one day I'll find a photo <br />of a dour faced female cornet player<br />accompanied by an ancestor <br />of Henry John Deutschendorf Jr.,<br />a.k.a. John Denver (1943-1997).</span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ac8la77LMOg/Xslzr7p9iII/AAAAAAAAUqM/SYgh1OuZR902K8YVKRYXihK9gkEjBv6GgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/John%2BDenver%2Bmerrge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="982" height="494" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ac8la77LMOg/Xslzr7p9iII/AAAAAAAAUqM/SYgh1OuZR902K8YVKRYXihK9gkEjBv6GgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/John%2BDenver%2Bmerrge.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/05/sepia-saturday-521-23-may-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a>.<br />Click the link! <br />You too might be a Winner!</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/05/sepia-saturday-521-23-may-2020.html" target="_blank"><img alt="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/05/sepia-saturday-521-23-may-2020.html" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Spc-Q9MOUzE/XsZwXIysbII/AAAAAAACCQo/wC_BSCIHJz4380KpiYY6x8GO5frENT3SACPcBGAsYHg/s400/20.05.242.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-6800860121023469862020-05-16T12:32:00.001-04:002020-05-16T15:24:03.733-04:00The Soldiers Salute<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFRAlrSMWPI/Xr6lROpMz3I/AAAAAAAAUnU/3JxyW1jybB4oGjRK54Th1jRe3JnlPgkcACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mandolins%2Band%2BBeer%2Btst%2BF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="1561" height="506" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFRAlrSMWPI/Xr6lROpMz3I/AAAAAAAAUnU/3JxyW1jybB4oGjRK54Th1jRe3JnlPgkcACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Mandolins%2Band%2BBeer%2Btst%2BF.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Beer.<br />It can make a young man wise<br />and an old man foolish.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8rLEzdgco5Y/Xr6lghOMPII/AAAAAAAAUnY/1rB2-BJPqUscvSvPHWS_r88J1yFD8W1hgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Monkey%2BLager%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1273" data-original-width="1248" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8rLEzdgco5Y/Xr6lghOMPII/AAAAAAAAUnY/1rB2-BJPqUscvSvPHWS_r88J1yFD8W1hgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Monkey%2BLager%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="626" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">With enough </span><span style="font-size: large;">lager</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />a shy man will sing<br />and a brave man may cry.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9s_OgIv_B6g/Xr6llZHWHOI/AAAAAAAAUng/2hBXMZTVLCUG4lzPQrUx2vdrrV0TckJtQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Pajama%2BParty%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="896" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9s_OgIv_B6g/Xr6llZHWHOI/AAAAAAAAUng/2hBXMZTVLCUG4lzPQrUx2vdrrV0TckJtQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Pajama%2BParty%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="626" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Whether sharing a pint, or a litre,<br />good ale inspires songs of life<br />and stories of old friends.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">One of the curious sub-genres of photographs<br />in my collection are postcard photos<br />of small groups of military servicemen<br />enjoying an off-duty "relaxed" moment <br />with their mates.<br />The majority of these photos <br />are of soldiers and sailors<br />from the time of the German Empire,<br />often posed as if <br />they were in a pub or cafe garden<br />savoring a glass of beer <br />while listening to a musical comrade.<br />&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today I have three photos <br />on this theme<br />to exhibit.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wQrfTEFhgro/Xr6lpg4FYPI/AAAAAAAAUnk/4rWQUodbuG8TjnkDSf-tOhIvIWB9GYoJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mandolins%2Band%2BBeer%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="997" data-original-width="1600" height="398" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wQrfTEFhgro/Xr6lpg4FYPI/AAAAAAAAUnk/4rWQUodbuG8TjnkDSf-tOhIvIWB9GYoJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Mandolins%2Band%2BBeer%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The first image was clipped from a postcard photo of a group of German soldiers seated in a photographer's studio that is staged to look like a romantic forest beer garden. Arranged around a small table are ten soldiers, most holding beer steins. Two enlisted men sit on the "ground" floor strumming two musical instruments. One has a pear-shaped mandolin and the other a similarly shaped but larger lute-guitar. They are the only men whose regiment numbers, 23 and 70. are visible on their shoulder bars. One soldier wears a distinctive <i>Pickelhaube </i>headgear of the Imperial German Army. His helmet plate or <i>Wappen</i> is an eagle, the symbol of a Prussia soldier, but the spike on top is not pointed. Instead it is a round knob that signifies an artillery regiment. The small table has a card with the number 144 which may be connected to their army division. I don't think any of the soldiers are bandsmen, but are just regular enlisted men. <br /><br />The soldiers' expressions are a bit wistful, even melancholy, as if this was their last round before closing time. While the mandolin and lute-guitar might be studio props, the two men seem to hold them expertly enough. Musical instruments appear so frequently in soldiers' photos like this that I think they represent the German love of music. It's as if the men are sharing a song and a beer with the distant recipient of the postcard.<br /><br />The postcard was sent from Saarbrücken on 10 July 1910 to a Fräulein Zimmer(?) in P...(?) Rhineland(?). Saarbrücken is located in western Germany, right on the chin of the border with France. However in 1910 it was several kilometers inland of the western region of Alsace-Lorraine which was then part of the German Empire.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9QgZAAZW3Ok/Xr6ltW-CeXI/AAAAAAAAUno/BTXzju-85wo4IyqPDX9iP7fkF-0tTnXmQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mandolins%2Band%2BBeer%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1003" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9QgZAAZW3Ok/Xr6ltW-CeXI/AAAAAAAAUno/BTXzju-85wo4IyqPDX9iP7fkF-0tTnXmQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Mandolins%2Band%2BBeer%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></b></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a20HOS-cR18/Xr6lyndmxOI/AAAAAAAAUnw/5Mcbk3bd2y8fxzqLcPCzR78FIJivuaFBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Monkey%2BLager%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1600" height="414" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a20HOS-cR18/Xr6lyndmxOI/AAAAAAAAUnw/5Mcbk3bd2y8fxzqLcPCzR78FIJivuaFBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Monkey%2BLager%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The second clip shows another group of eight German soldiers with beer steins, this time outside under a striped pole with a sign that reads: <span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>Nach der Heimat noch 175 Tage</i> ~ 175 days after home.</span> One solider is astride a wooden hobbyhorse and brandishes a short sword. Next to him is a cutout figure of a smiling ape drinking a frothy glass of beer while sitting on a keg. Presumably the mascot of the brewery. On a slate in front is another sign that reads: <i>Treue Freundschaft beim Commiss geht über jedes Hinderniss</i> ~ Loyal friendship at the Commiss(?) goes beyond every obstacle. <br /><br />But on the left is a soldier seated with a simple accordion or concertina. At his feet is a slate that reads: <span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>Nun seht bles diese alten Knochen, die haben nur noch 25 Wochen. Reserve 1914</i> ~ Now just see these old bones, they only have 25 weeks left. Reserve 1914</span>. This better explains the reason for their celebration. The soldiers are serving their year of military obligation, maybe in basic training, and look forward to going home soon.<br /><br />But before those next 25 weeks finish the men will wish they were back in the beer garden. The soldiers' postcard was sent from Darmstadt, Germany on 25 March 1914. In less than 18 weeks they will be marching through Belgium on a line to Paris.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6p85emthelg/Xr6l3qr1-oI/AAAAAAAAUn4/K22RrjOKiScoqdPYuL5Nd9NLk_J7oN1PQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Monkey%2BLager%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1047" data-original-width="1600" height="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6p85emthelg/Xr6l3qr1-oI/AAAAAAAAUn4/K22RrjOKiScoqdPYuL5Nd9NLk_J7oN1PQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Monkey%2BLager%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></b></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Cx5mAFridU/Xr6l7pGkIpI/AAAAAAAAUoA/tMMWOZggtysXf5ngkGR-Z0hM72iDy2AwwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Pajama%2BParty%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="1600" height="408" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Cx5mAFridU/Xr6l7pGkIpI/AAAAAAAAUoA/tMMWOZggtysXf5ngkGR-Z0hM72iDy2AwwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Pajama%2BParty%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The third image shows a concertina player knelling in the center of a group of 23 men dressed in striped pajamas and holding beer steins. They are German soldiers too, but their casual attire is the uniform of a wounded warrior. One soldier on the far right wears a long apron and I think he is a medical orderly. The picture was taken at the <i>Reservelazarett </i>or Reserve hospital in, appropriately enough, Weingarten, Württemberg. The postmark is dated 29 November 1915, nearly one year and three months since the beginning of the Great War. <br /><br />There are few smiles on the faces of these men. They look reasonably fit and whole, and probably expect to return to duty soon. All the more reason to enjoy a glass of beer with their mates. The bonds of friendships during wartime are like no other. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MKaHJS_3nDY/Xr6l_n9NMqI/AAAAAAAAUoI/F0EgBGlF1KcQsXaaKQEmxI1c0GOMFYUkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Pajama%2BParty%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1007" data-original-width="1600" height="402" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MKaHJS_3nDY/Xr6l_n9NMqI/AAAAAAAAUoI/F0EgBGlF1KcQsXaaKQEmxI1c0GOMFYUkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Pajama%2BParty%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Over the past few weeks of self-quarantine, my wife and I watched the series of seven Harry Potter films. My wife, a big fan of J. K. Rowling's novels, had recently re-read them and wanted to conclude with the complete cinematic experience. However, I have different literary interests and have not read the books, but I will grant that the movies are exciting and distracting enough with their complicated fantasy stories and imaginative characters.<br /><br />But after seeing the films again in close succession I was struck by J. K. Rowling's theme of memory that connects the series. In Harry Potter's struggle against the evil Lord Voldemort, he encounters several magical devices that reveal old memories, often linked to love and friendship. It's a similar notion to a talisman, an object imbued&nbsp; with secret human feelings and actions known only to the bearer.<br /><br />These photographs of German soldiers are also mysterious devices of memory, charmed with hidden powers of remembrance. How did they manage to be preserved for over 100 years though times of war and revolution? What names and stories were recalled by these photos? Who protected these postcards, safeguarding the simple messages on the back for posterity?<br /><br />We can never know the true meaning of these images, but like the fictional Harry Potter learned, the most powerful magic is found in friendship and love. In the end those are the enchantments preserved in these photos that will always overcome hatred and misery.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/05/sepia-saturday-520-16-may-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a><br />where we always wish<br />"To Your Good Health!"</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/05/sepia-saturday-520-16-may-2020.html" target="_blank"><img alt="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/05/sepia-saturday-520-16-may-2020.html" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7ZZX1muyplk/Xr1hnVWb55I/AAAAAAACBxw/ES2WVaEel9Y6zk2vDjP8Fvrn2D8oMsRkQCPcBGAsYHg/s400/2004311.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-71431317317603812262020-05-08T17:23:00.001-04:002020-05-08T19:09:45.707-04:00Boys in Uniform<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8sq-8p-hcQE/XrSxoEadkNI/AAAAAAAAUlw/lfhe73CfwIY8dx9zW6155LPrTFjqsvMAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Boy%2BScout%2BDuo%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="1200" height="538" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8sq-8p-hcQE/XrSxoEadkNI/AAAAAAAAUlw/lfhe73CfwIY8dx9zW6155LPrTFjqsvMAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Boy%2BScout%2BDuo%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">There is something about a uniform<br />that makes a fella feel kinda special.<br />Maybe it's the sharp hat <br />which gives you <br />that soldierly look.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--A7zuDgLq-c/XrSzjj7WUMI/AAAAAAAAUl4/onTNAQAz1ncEm7wQ54MMDV5dgDXqf9ZRACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Kansas%2BClarinet%2BBoy%2Btst%2BE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="937" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--A7zuDgLq-c/XrSzjj7WUMI/AAAAAAAAUl4/onTNAQAz1ncEm7wQ54MMDV5dgDXqf9ZRACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Kansas%2BClarinet%2BBoy%2Btst%2BE.jpg" width="628" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A good hat and a fine uniform lets people see<br />that you belong to an exclusive group.<br />They don't let every Tom, Dick, and Harry join.<br />You gotta know what'char doing.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xmpGPMypO9U/XrWv7mR1l3I/AAAAAAAAUm0/8v_UNeHJnXINMZmYNXCZDXUFfX8TxLDJACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Grand%2BRapids%2BCornet%2BBoy%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1256" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xmpGPMypO9U/XrWv7mR1l3I/AAAAAAAAUm0/8v_UNeHJnXINMZmYNXCZDXUFfX8TxLDJACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Grand%2BRapids%2BCornet%2BBoy%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="610" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A fancy jacket with its little knotted embroidery <br />is important to show off your classy refinement<br />that's so different from just your Sunday best.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ELMcQ9WfX4k/XrSzwio_PTI/AAAAAAAAUmA/a2mwvgp4figNF19xxTw2xDOdFesKp3yMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Milwaukee%2BBig%2BCornet%2BBoy%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="785" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ELMcQ9WfX4k/XrSzwio_PTI/AAAAAAAAUmA/a2mwvgp4figNF19xxTw2xDOdFesKp3yMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Milwaukee%2BBig%2BCornet%2BBoy%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="582" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">When you put it all on–<br />the starched shirt, the fancy jacket, the hat– <br />you ain't the same as you was before.<br />You just know you're the best.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-11Xqlrb-nOk/XrSzrO2BnBI/AAAAAAAAUl8/FN-sbWsRQRcDeKohJC0IE8fhTr0qGKYJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Scranton%2BCornet%2BBrothers%2Btst%2BC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="1200" height="556" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-11Xqlrb-nOk/XrSzrO2BnBI/AAAAAAAAUl8/FN-sbWsRQRcDeKohJC0IE8fhTr0qGKYJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Scranton%2BCornet%2BBrothers%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">'Cause whatever it is,<br />it makes you proud<br />to play in the band.<br />It's <i>your</i> band now.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">&nbsp;* * *</span></b></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zq3wC5eBuno/XrSz105cjpI/AAAAAAAAUmI/03cH-UwqBhYXNsL3kWr-rNUZ2WVrxyZrACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Boy%2BScout%2BDuo%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1129" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zq3wC5eBuno/XrSz105cjpI/AAAAAAAAUmI/03cH-UwqBhYXNsL3kWr-rNUZ2WVrxyZrACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Boy%2BScout%2BDuo%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><br />The first image is, I think, of two brothers who belong to a boy scout band. The taller and older one on the left plays a cornet, while his shorter, stouter brother plays an altohorn. It's an unmarked photo postcard from around 1910 -1920. I call them scouts but except for their broad brimmed trooper hats they aren't wearing any scouting insignia, and their military style leggings are not a typical scouting accessory. So they may be members of a "cadet" band from America's first world war years, 1917-18, when there was a surge of patriotic military pride in the US. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></b></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yPHcO2GZogc/XrSz9Gi9t6I/AAAAAAAAUmM/MPmAZhUPfaIc0cpbdf55oEcZfm4A_Q7OQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Kansas%2BClarinet%2BBoy%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1222" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yPHcO2GZogc/XrSz9Gi9t6I/AAAAAAAAUmM/MPmAZhUPfaIc0cpbdf55oEcZfm4A_Q7OQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Kansas%2BClarinet%2BBoy%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="488" /></a></div><br />The second image of a young clarinet player with his hat pushed back in a jaunty style is a from a cabinet card photo taken by Painter's photography studio in River, Kansas, a township in Pawnee County, KS.&nbsp; Located in west central Kansas, River now has so few residents that it doesn't merit an entry in Wikipedia. But in roughly 1900-1905, River did have a boys' band and this lad played two sizes of clarinet and a piccolo. His extra instruments are on the bearskin carpet next to his chair. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></b></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RvwGnyZPS-c/XrWwPCDUyYI/AAAAAAAAUm8/bSnhk1SrAiUjzXL33PuVKBgpz2o31xoQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Grand%2BRapids%2BCornet%2BBoy%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1047" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RvwGnyZPS-c/XrWwPCDUyYI/AAAAAAAAUm8/bSnhk1SrAiUjzXL33PuVKBgpz2o31xoQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Grand%2BRapids%2BCornet%2BBoy%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="418" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The third image shows a boy cornet player from Grand Rapids, Michigan. This cabinet card was made by the Noble studio at No. 126 &amp; 128 Canal St in Grand Rapids. The boy is slightly blurred as if he twitched just as the camera shutter clicked. He looks about age 9 or 10, and on his cap and collar are badges that read "PRESS" which stands for the Grand Rapids <i>Press </i>newsboy band. This photo dates from around 1895-1905. His hat lies on a small side table with fantastic carved crane supports, an example of the famous woodwork from "Furniture City", Grand Rapids' nickname for its principal industries. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></b></span> </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WwEniAwlmmw/XrS0LnmBbmI/AAAAAAAAUmc/BOhfARinajQCUPvTKHOnnWdSjc8qRy_8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Milwaukee%2BBig%2BCornet%2BBoy%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="974" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WwEniAwlmmw/XrS0LnmBbmI/AAAAAAAAUmc/BOhfARinajQCUPvTKHOnnWdSjc8qRy_8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Milwaukee%2BBig%2BCornet%2BBoy%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="388" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The next image comes from a <i>carte de visite</i> photo of a boy holding what looks like an extra large cornet. It's a German style rotary valve trumpet pitched lower in F or E-flat, I think. The photographer was Ph. E. Theummler of 387 Broadway, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the photo dates from 1875-1880. Notice behind the boys feet are the legs of the photographer's posing stand. This studio accessory nudged the subject into the optimum position for the focus point of the camera's lens. </div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DgPODvWuGfI/XrS0LlP2HhI/AAAAAAAAUmY/4QLWLUvSfYIBaYhBvQnrOvFsZ_asEs4RgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Milwaukee%2BBig%2BCornet%2BBoy%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="613" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DgPODvWuGfI/XrS0LlP2HhI/AAAAAAAAUmY/4QLWLUvSfYIBaYhBvQnrOvFsZ_asEs4RgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Milwaukee%2BBig%2BCornet%2BBoy%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="392" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></b></span> </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vPrLE_C1DQY/XrS0D9FE03I/AAAAAAAAUmQ/wXjPgiIKcHY-JgRiCoRq47gnRTUbhEgSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Scranton%2BCornet%2BBrothers%2Btst%2BA.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1112" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vPrLE_C1DQY/XrS0D9FE03I/AAAAAAAAUmQ/wXjPgiIKcHY-JgRiCoRq47gnRTUbhEgSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Scranton%2BCornet%2BBrothers%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="444" /></a></div><br /><br />The last image is another pair of boys, also brothers, I think, that came from a cabinet card photo produced by the Frey studio of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Both boys hold cornets and are dressed in double-breasted heavy wool coats, short pants, and hats that have badges with the initials <b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">TCB</span></b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">.</span> They appear about age 12 and 10 to 12. This photograph is from about 1895-1900.<br /><br /><br /><br />Uniforms and hats are still a part of our society, but the connotations were different in earlier times. Class, status, privilege, wealth and poverty were measured by the clothes people wore. Back then, clothing more easily advertised the level of a person. These young boys in uniform mimicked the fashion of older bandsmen in their time. I imagine it gave them a sense of self esteem and empowerment to be a uniformed musician in a band.&nbsp;<br /><br />What intrigues me about these photos is the way all the boys look directly into the camera lens. We can see their youth, of course, in their size and posture. But their expressions are mirrors of a future maturity, as their eyes reveal the young men they will become.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">They are the kind of boys that any mother would be proud to call her own.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/05/sepia-saturday-519-saturday-9th-may-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a><br />where its Stay at Home Fashion Week.</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/05/sepia-saturday-519-saturday-9th-may-2020.html" target="_blank"><img alt="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/05/sepia-saturday-519-saturday-9th-may-2020.html" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OENk86M_5V8/XrQbn1g3F4I/AAAAAAACBSo/9_nccXXr4oYsu9Vd96x6blG21jMfQAJUwCPcBGAsYHg/s400/2004222.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-71178544066020918002020-05-02T16:20:00.001-04:002020-05-02T21:08:18.936-04:00The Band of the U.S.S. Honolulu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W9sEKSpsnrI/XqwvqkFl6gI/AAAAAAAAUjg/jLJ3msXGWSIWWkEqFwE91vtjxfEq9pUWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/USS%2BHonolulu%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="1006" height="584" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W9sEKSpsnrI/XqwvqkFl6gI/AAAAAAAAUjg/jLJ3msXGWSIWWkEqFwE91vtjxfEq9pUWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/USS%2BHonolulu%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">For what things <br />must a navy sailor<br />always stay alert?<br />The wind and the weather?<br />Ocean waves? Shoals and reefs?<br />Pirates and mermaids?&nbsp; <br />Clarinets?</span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-inBA7LBCNBs/XqwxGm6WYYI/AAAAAAAAUjo/RAGtA9tsi6QJ_1PYwo5CLwaJOgkev5b3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/USS%2BHonolulu%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="1600" height="394" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-inBA7LBCNBs/XqwxGm6WYYI/AAAAAAAAUjo/RAGtA9tsi6QJ_1PYwo5CLwaJOgkev5b3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/USS%2BHonolulu%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">For some sailors it was the sound of<br />the band of the U.S.S. Honolulu.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Twenty musicians with their bandmaster</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">pose in concert formation </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">on the aft deck of a battleship,</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">a Brooklyn-class light cruiser</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">of the United States Navy.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5hpJ_WiKJ-Y/Xqw7CgpriGI/AAAAAAAAUj8/ecY_UBps8-QQr-nPrk65FPtfIUtKFrY7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/USS%2BHonolulu%2BCL-48%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1152" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5hpJ_WiKJ-Y/Xqw7CgpriGI/AAAAAAAAUj8/ecY_UBps8-QQr-nPrk65FPtfIUtKFrY7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/USS%2BHonolulu%2BCL-48%2B1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/048/04048.htm" target="_blank">Navsource.org</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Miss Helen Poindexter, daughter of the governor of the Territory of Hawaii, wielded the champagne bottle that launched the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Honolulu_(CL-48)" target="_blank">U.S.S. Honolulu, (CL-48)</a> in August 1937 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City. It was 600 feet long with a beam of 61 feet 7 inches and armed with 15 six-inch guns in five rotating turrets and 8 five-inch anti-aircraft guns. As a light cruiser it was built for speed with less armor than the heavier battleships and its four steam turbines could propel the ship to over 32 knots. After being commissioned in June 1938 it kept a ship complement of 868 officers and enlisted men, which included 21 musicians in its band.<br /><br />Beginning in 1935 when the U.S. Navy announced that its next new cruiser would be named after the city of Honolulu, Hawaii, the people there became eager to see their namesake. After its first sea trials in the Atlantic and Caribbean, the U.S.S. Honolulu was assigned to the Pacific fleet. When it finally arrived in Pearl Harbor on 10 July 1939, the ship was met by a throng of 10,000 Hawaiians who came out to greet its sailors with a "Gigantic Aloha". The territorial newspaper, the Honolulu Advertiser, put a photo of the ship on the front page, contrasting it with a traditional Hawaiian outrigger canoe next to the immense battleship. (The paper's headline about a powder blast destroying a town refers to a munitions explosion in Spain.) <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[WARNING: this post contains an unusual number of references to deadly explosions]</span></div><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RyXof8QB2yI/Xqw7dK6PNFI/AAAAAAAAUkI/kNaPv1URjJA_htJAcFChPNXnjVXasyAqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1939-07-10%2BHonolulu_Advertiser%2B-%2BCL48%2Barrives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="1600" height="412" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RyXof8QB2yI/Xqw7dK6PNFI/AAAAAAAAUkI/kNaPv1URjJA_htJAcFChPNXnjVXasyAqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1939-07-10%2BHonolulu_Advertiser%2B-%2BCL48%2Barrives.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Honolulu Advertiser</i><br />10 July 1939</td></tr></tbody></table>For the next year the U.S.S. Honolulu's home port was Long Beach, California. After some alterations made at the Puget Sound shipyard in Washington in November 1940, the cruiser was reassigned to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. That was where it was moored when the Japanese Navy Air Force attacked the Pacific fleet on 7 December 1941.<br /><br />The U.S.S. Honolulu sustained minor damage from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor" target="_blank">Pearl Harbor attack</a> but did not suffer any casualties. Few of the other ships were so lucky. The Japanese fighter planes and bombers hit eight battleships, sinking four. They also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, and five other smaller ships along with destroying 188 U.S. aircraft. The surprise attack killed 2,403 sailors, wounding 1,178, with 103 civilian casualties. <br /><br />Over the first year of the war with Japan, the U.S.S. Honolulu worked out of San Francisco as a convoy escort to Australia and Samoa. In May 1941 it was sent to the Territory of Alaska as part of a force to attack the Japanese who had taken the western Aleutian Islands. In November the Honolulu joined a large fleet going to the South Pacific, but before it left it needed repairs at the Mare Island Navy Yard in San Francisco. Two birds-eye photos taken there of the ship show the deck aswarm with sailors. The first image shows&nbsp; the aft deck where the band posed. The stern derrick was used to lift floatplanes used for scouting. The planes were launched from catapult tracks mounted on each side of the aft deck. <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ogAUVZ2LL8/Xqw9aueptNI/AAAAAAAAUkU/45G50xj_uNMdlNuia3_hYjdmIrxLQXVvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/USS%2BHonolulu%2BCL-48%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1233" data-original-width="1600" height="492" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ogAUVZ2LL8/Xqw9aueptNI/AAAAAAAAUkU/45G50xj_uNMdlNuia3_hYjdmIrxLQXVvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/USS%2BHonolulu%2BCL-48%2B2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">U.S.S. Honolulu, Mare Island, 1942<br />Source: <a href="http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/048/04048.htm" target="_blank">Navsource.org</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The second photo shows the forward deck and the ship's three main gun turrets.</div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tufe0L5ZMCw/Xqw9izzo_EI/AAAAAAAAUkY/mu-DTAHa8BEBrqQ_aUBFKGY1coipogiiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/USS%2BHonolulu%2BCL-48%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1207" data-original-width="1600" height="482" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tufe0L5ZMCw/Xqw9izzo_EI/AAAAAAAAUkY/mu-DTAHa8BEBrqQ_aUBFKGY1coipogiiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/USS%2BHonolulu%2BCL-48%2B3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">U.S.S. Honolulu, Mare Island, 1942<br />Source: <a href="http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/048/04048.htm" target="_blank">Navsource.org</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Of all the kinds of historical research, military archives are my favorite to examine, especially those of the United States Navy. Since record keeping began, every movement of ships and sailors was accounted for in some kind of document. In fact there is so much, that it would be an immense task to find specific information on just one ship if it were not for the wonder of modern internet digital archives. With the right search terms, details appear on my computer that would otherwise take days if not years to locate in a library. So it was with finding images of the U.S.S. Honolulu on websites like <a href="http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/048/04048.htm" target="_blank">Navsource.org</a>, the source for dozens of images of the ship during its wartime service.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6X2jcj86H7Y/Xqw2xPjJp-I/AAAAAAAAUjw/wYXsgfpmK6I4CfznrPqQTWMm7u28BJscACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1942-02-06%2BMadison%2BWI%2BWisconsin_State_Journal%2B-%2Bbandsman%2BUSS%2BHonolulu%2BA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1006" data-original-width="583" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6X2jcj86H7Y/Xqw2xPjJp-I/AAAAAAAAUjw/wYXsgfpmK6I4CfznrPqQTWMm7u28BJscACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1942-02-06%2BMadison%2BWI%2BWisconsin_State_Journal%2B-%2Bbandsman%2BUSS%2BHonolulu%2BA.JPG" width="370" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madison <i>Wisconsin State Journal</i><br />6 February 1942<br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />During both World War 1 and the much longer World War 2, newspapers in America regularly printed stories about local men serving in the army or navy. I found a few references from 1940-41 that established that there was indeed a band onboard the U.S.S. Honolulu, but this one from the Madison, Wisconsin paper was special because it interviewed a sailor, John "Bud" Bakke, on leave from San Francisco for a visit home, who was a cornetist in the ship's band and also a witness to the tragic events of December 7th, 1941.<br /><br />The night before the attack, the U.S.S. Honolulu band was playing for a dance at nearby Camp Andrews, where afterwards Bakke and his fellow bandsmen stayed overnight. The next morning they hurriedly reported to their ship.<br /><br /><i>"I'd rather not talk about what happened in and around Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7," Bakke said, "The facts of the attack have been published, and it it something we would all like to forget, if we can. I was fortunate enough to come out of it without a scratch." </i><br /><br />John Bakke enlisted in the navy in May 1940, graduating from the US Navy School of Music in Washington, D.C. in April 1941. He joined the U.S.S. Honolulu band as a cornet player in June 1941 leaving for Hawaii.<br /><br />On a typical day onboard ship, <i>Bakke rises at 7 AM, plays colors at 8, has music classes until 11, and a concert from 11 to noon. Afternoons, he has rehearsals, and another concert at 8 pm, with playing for dances at recreation centers some nights.</i><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kb5oFxf64Eg/Xqw21puo74I/AAAAAAAAUj0/dkRlPd_Eh9AMOGb8eYUbsHZKy73DxwofQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1942-04-03%2BBristol%2BTN%2BHerald_Courier%2B-%2B21%2Bbandsmen%2Bkilled%2Bon%2BUSS%2BArizona%2BA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="333" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kb5oFxf64Eg/Xqw21puo74I/AAAAAAAAUj0/dkRlPd_Eh9AMOGb8eYUbsHZKy73DxwofQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1942-04-03%2BBristol%2BTN%2BHerald_Courier%2B-%2B21%2Bbandsmen%2Bkilled%2Bon%2BUSS%2BArizona%2BA.JPG" width="317" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bristol TN Herald-Courier<br />3 April 1942</td></tr></tbody></table><br />&nbsp; <br />There was a good reason Bakke was reluctant to talk about the Pearl Harbor attack. Among the many sailors killed that day, were 21 musicians in the band on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Arizona_(BB-39)" target="_blank">U.S.S. Arizona</a>. The battleship was struck by a Japanese bombs which detonated a catastrophic explosion in its magazine. Major structures on the ship were destroyed and a fierce fire broke out. Within seconds the Arizona sank, killing 1,177 officers and crewmen.<br /><br />On the morning of the attack <a href="https://visitpearlharbor.org/doomed-uss-arizona-band/" target="_blank">the U.S.S. Arizona's band</a> was about to play the Star Spangled Banner for the ship's morning colors service. Immediately ordered to&nbsp; their battle stations, the bandsmen raced down to below decks where they worked as ammunition handlers, one of the most hazardous duties on the ship, passing powder to the guns above. None survived.<br /><br />It's likely that Bakke knew some of these men.&nbsp; Perhaps some were his classmates at the navy school of music. Certainly withing the close musical community of navy and army bands at Pearl Harbor, Bakke could have heard or even played with the U.S.S. Arizona band during the previous months. Today the U.S.S. Arizona lies preserved underwater, a memorial to all the lives lost at Pearl Harbor that day.<br /><br />In 1943, John Bakke, Musician 2nd Class, transferred to the band of another a Brooklyn-class light cruiser, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Helena_(CL-50)" target="_blank">U.S.S. Helena (CL-50)</a>. His luck was tested in July of that year when the Helena was torpedoed and sunk in the Battle of Kula Gulf. Fortunately most of the crew, including Bakke, were rescued. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br /><br />A navy band like the one on the Honolulu played an important role in boosting the morale of a ship's crew. The collection of photographs of the U.S.S. Honolulu found at the website <a href="http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/048/04048.htm" target="_blank">Navsource.org</a> has one photo of the band taken sometime during the war while entertaining sailors with an evening concert. With the row of saxophones, a trombonist taking a solo, and a singing string bassist at center stage, the Honolulu band demonstrates that it was very adept at playing music of the current popular dance band style in addition to the old military march standards. <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lc36HDM4Z1A/XqxEFSnNtzI/AAAAAAAAUkk/LXueoxOv3hoUeR4mZmlIIT3td2NiVDOJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/USS%2BHonolulu%2BCL-48%2B6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="800" height="520" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lc36HDM4Z1A/XqxEFSnNtzI/AAAAAAAAUkk/LXueoxOv3hoUeR4mZmlIIT3td2NiVDOJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/USS%2BHonolulu%2BCL-48%2B6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Band of the U.S.S. Honolulu<br />Source: <a href="http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/048/04048.htm" target="_blank">Navsource.org</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The U.S.S. Honolulu was in the same task group as the U.S.S. Helena in the Battle of Kula Gulf. It escaped the fate of the Helena, but a week later on 12/13 July 1943, the Honolulu was hit by a torpedo at the Battle of Kolombangara. The bow of the ship was severely damaged, requiring an emergency patch, but the ship was able to return to Pearl Harbor and then San Francisco for more repairs.<br /><br />Returned to service, in October 1944 the Honolulu joined a large force preparing for the amphibious invasion of the island of Leyte in the Philippines. On 20 October a Japanese torpedo plane targeted the Honolulu, and despite evasive maneuvering, the torpedo struck her port side leaving a large gaping hole. The ship managed to stay afloat and a few days later the crew fixed the hull with a temporary repair sufficient to get the Honolulu back to Hawaii. But for serious damage like this, a proper repair was required at a major navy repair facility. It was sent to Norfolk, Virginia where it arrived in December 1944 and remained in the shipyard for the duration of the war. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U5Xufk5kw-U/XqxEX4tsNFI/AAAAAAAAUks/IMn76Tldqxgl8zcsx7PAmNeOBKFE074bQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/USS%2BHonolulu%2BCL-48%2B7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1047" data-original-width="1326" height="504" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U5Xufk5kw-U/XqxEX4tsNFI/AAAAAAAAUks/IMn76Tldqxgl8zcsx7PAmNeOBKFE074bQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/USS%2BHonolulu%2BCL-48%2B7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">U.S.S. Honolulu, damage from October 1944<br />Source: <a href="http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/048/04048.htm" target="_blank">Navsource.org</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Here are two more photos from <a href="http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/048/04048.htm" target="_blank">Navsource.org</a>&nbsp; that show the frightening damage from that Japanese torpedo. Unless I'm mistaken, there are two trombones twisted up in the middle left.<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HYdXCtPKp6g/XqxEvfnfaJI/AAAAAAAAUk0/hjXgQ1IvHMAm12utsv2kv2VJH4SIS1JdgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/USS%2BHonolulu%2BCL-48%2B8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1320" height="504" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HYdXCtPKp6g/XqxEvfnfaJI/AAAAAAAAUk0/hjXgQ1IvHMAm12utsv2kv2VJH4SIS1JdgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/USS%2BHonolulu%2BCL-48%2B8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">U.S.S. Honolulu, damage from October 1944<br />Source: <a href="http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/048/04048.htm" target="_blank">Navsource.org</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />After the end of the war, the U.S.S. Honolulu was refitted in 1945 as a training ship and sent to Newport, Rhode Island. In January 1946 it was decommissioned and placed in the Philadelphia Reserve Fleet. It was finally sold for scrap in 1959.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">For its service in World War II the U.S.S. Honolulu received eight battle stars,<br />worn on the campaign medals awarded to each serviceman.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The details of the ship's history are clear. The U.S.S. Honolulu was commissioned on 15 June 1938, and decommissioned not quite 9 years later on 3 February 1947. But I still had questions. I wondered if it was possible to figure out when the photo of the U.S.S. Honolulu's band was taken. Except for the ship's name on the lifebouys the postcard is otherwise unmarked. The aft deck setting matched the other photos of the ship that I found, but could there be any other clues?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">There was one. A very big one hiding in the hazy background of the photo.</div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4FZjUk6e6bk/XqxE33JwcaI/AAAAAAAAUk4/ms1fY2m7nQYiho6ffWmXBha9o1gctBK4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/USS%2BHonolulu%2Btst%2BF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="939" data-original-width="1600" height="374" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4FZjUk6e6bk/XqxE33JwcaI/AAAAAAAAUk4/ms1fY2m7nQYiho6ffWmXBha9o1gctBK4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/USS%2BHonolulu%2Btst%2BF.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />With the contrast corrected, a bridge is revealed in the near distance behind the sailors. The patterns in its structure show both interwoven trusses and long suspension cables. Knowing the timeline of ports where the Honolulu was stationed, it seemed likely that this bridge was near one of the navy bases it visited. Using Google Maps I checked out bridges located near Mare Island in San Francisco; Puget Sound in Seattle; Norfolk, Philadelphia, even Pearl Harbor. The few bridges that existed at that time were all ruled out because of size or design.<br /><br />Then I looked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and quickly identified a bridge that would be instantly recognized by anyone familiar with the bridges of New York City. Just beyond the shipyard where the U.S.S. Honolulu was first launched is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamsburg_Bridge" target="_blank">Williamsburg Bridge</a> spanning the East River from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Completed in 1903, until 1924 it was considered the longest suspension bridge in the world. <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b3FwhW8dONQ/XqxE_IKbBzI/AAAAAAAAUlA/7vW8Z8dwtKMtvuFdNZCmz9msVTi5M6j6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Williamsburg-Bridge%2BNYC%2B1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="960" height="492" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b3FwhW8dONQ/XqxE_IKbBzI/AAAAAAAAUlA/7vW8Z8dwtKMtvuFdNZCmz9msVTi5M6j6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Williamsburg-Bridge%2BNYC%2B1b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Williamsburg Bridge, New York City<br />Source: The Internet</td></tr></tbody></table><br />This aerial photo shows the truss construction and suspension cables visible in my postcard of the band. An even better view, taken from the level of the navy yard docks, shows the destroyer U.S.S. Turner with nearly the same perspective of the bridge behind. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QyV2uCm883c/XqxFH8TTJ_I/AAAAAAAAUlE/PBv6mduYqEsvByAGBr8voiIYBh9SzTEqACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Williamsburg-Bridge%2BNYC%2B3b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1084" data-original-width="1600" height="432" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QyV2uCm883c/XqxFH8TTJ_I/AAAAAAAAUlE/PBv6mduYqEsvByAGBr8voiIYBh9SzTEqACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Williamsburg-Bridge%2BNYC%2B3b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">U.S.S. Turner (DD-648)<br />Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Turner_(DD-648)" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></td></tr></tbody></table>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Turner_(DD-648)" target="_blank">U.S.S. Turner (DD-648)</a> also served in WW2 but tragically only for a very few months. Commissioned on 15 April 1943, it served as an escort ship guarding Transatlantic convoys to Britain. On 2 January 1944, after completing its third voyage across the Atlantic, it anchored in the channel off of New York. In the early morning of 3 January, some kind of accident occurred that caused a series of explosions in its ammunition magazine. Within an hour the Turner sunk, taking the lives of 15 officers and 123 men. <br /><br /><br /><br />As far as I can determine, the U.S.S. Honolulu never returned to the Brooklyn Navy Yard after its initial departure and subsequent wartime service. So I believe the photo of its band was taken in New York around the time of its commission in June 1938. It happens that when the ship left New York, the newspaper in Hawaii thought it noteworthy to include an aerial photo of the new cruiser being backed off into the East River. In the upper right corner is a pier of the Williamsburg Bridge. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I think the band of the U.S.S. Honolulu may be in this photo <br />sitting on the aft deck with the bridge in the background.<br />We just need a big magnifying glass.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kkRASUwAyKQ/Xqw7N1ofZVI/AAAAAAAAUkA/CZGXvd0fP3UZ5JhfrXBZq12AyR_T4LhBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1938-08-16%2BHonolulu_Advertiser%2B-%2BUSS%2BHonolulu%2Bleaves%2BNY%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="1600" height="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kkRASUwAyKQ/Xqw7N1ofZVI/AAAAAAAAUkA/CZGXvd0fP3UZ5JhfrXBZq12AyR_T4LhBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1938-08-16%2BHonolulu_Advertiser%2B-%2BUSS%2BHonolulu%2Bleaves%2BNY%2B1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Honolulu Advertiser</i><br />16 August 1938</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Photos of navy bands onboard ships are not particularly rare and tend to share similar elements to photos of army bands in regard to military uniforms and band instrumentation. But it is their connection to specific ships that makes each image of a navy band unique. The band on the U.S.S. Honolulu was part of a history that lasted only nine years, but in that short time these sailors earned every one of those eight battle stars.<br /><br />In the centuries before recorded music, radio, and television, the U.S. Navy recognized that live music was an important part of a sailor's life aboard ship. This naval custom of band music differed from the traditions of army bands in one important way. Soldiers marched. Sailors sailed. Band music may have moved the soldiers' feet, but it moved the sailors' spirit.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b><br /></b><b><br /></b><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/04/sepia-saturday-518-saturday-2-may-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a><br />where everyone's bundled up for personal protection.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/04/sepia-saturday-518-saturday-2-may-2020.html" target="_blank"><img alt="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/04/sepia-saturday-518-saturday-2-may-2020.html" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r7Oiv1BKKFM/Xqrq9iDUjoI/AAAAAAACA9c/NiGtoCzANe0VryRfc-nwD5QvtB-fxGoLACPcBGAsYHg/s400/2004164.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-78093063940200747802020-04-25T18:03:00.002-04:002020-04-26T10:39:06.628-04:00The Song of the Bell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-erqM7yLu_so/XqItlLIty8I/AAAAAAAAUhY/O2zSOGL7AcM9ZihZgd5ET43di_m9XGbTACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Die%2BGlocke%2B2%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="993" data-original-width="1000" height="634" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-erqM7yLu_so/XqItlLIty8I/AAAAAAAAUhY/O2zSOGL7AcM9ZihZgd5ET43di_m9XGbTACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Die%2BGlocke%2B2%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">You know that moment<br />when you can't remember a word?<br />When you can't think what to say<br />because your mind is stuck <br />in a mire of dark thoughts?</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hJ9XJY3k60Q/XqIu2KpVOdI/AAAAAAAAUhg/N1K428Rf4D87PFQZsyWZUfPESch8hQ_8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Die%2BGlocke%2B8%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="1100" height="610" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hJ9XJY3k60Q/XqIu2KpVOdI/AAAAAAAAUhg/N1K428Rf4D87PFQZsyWZUfPESch8hQ_8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Die%2BGlocke%2B8%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then suddenly your head explodes<br />with a whirlwind of emotions<br />chasing you like a swarm of angry hornets.<br />You can't take it any longer!<br />You just want to escape!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />Life can feel that way in stressful times.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r8d5mYs0AaY/XqIu8aI_EyI/AAAAAAAAUhk/-zOLEyj-PiImyPwpuZnZzUx-Po9xxJA7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Die%2BGlocke%2B2%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1058" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r8d5mYs0AaY/XqIu8aI_EyI/AAAAAAAAUhk/-zOLEyj-PiImyPwpuZnZzUx-Po9xxJA7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Die%2BGlocke%2B2%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="422" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><b>„Die Glocke“ von Schiller<br />~<br />The Bell by Schiller</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Einen Blick nach den Grabe Seiner Habe </span></span></i><br /><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Sendet noch der Mensch zurück. </span></span></i><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">= </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">A look at the grave of his belongings<br />Still sends a man back.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">{ 2.&nbsp;&nbsp; <i>ist jetzt</i>&nbsp;&nbsp; =&nbsp;&nbsp; is now }</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzhkXH9lKJg/XqIvCeMnwHI/AAAAAAAAUho/ziKSCTpW6Hccyjuo0qMXxBS86faYXBtvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Die%2BGlocke%2B3%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1029" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzhkXH9lKJg/XqIvCeMnwHI/AAAAAAAAUho/ziKSCTpW6Hccyjuo0qMXxBS86faYXBtvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Die%2BGlocke%2B3%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">&nbsp;<i>Fest gemauert in der Erden</i></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>Steht die Form, aus Lehm gebrannt.</i> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">=</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Firmly walled in the earth<br />Is the shape, burned from clay</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">{ 3.&nbsp; <i>Karten&nbsp;&nbsp; </i>=&nbsp;&nbsp; cards }</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jIiXnClqZG8/XqIvIo--1tI/AAAAAAAAUhw/H12OYy4vIRIUAwT5KMWmuFh41QO9LZXGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Die%2BGlocke%2B4%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1026" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jIiXnClqZG8/XqIvIo--1tI/AAAAAAAAUhw/H12OYy4vIRIUAwT5KMWmuFh41QO9LZXGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Die%2BGlocke%2B4%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Von der Stirne heiss</span></span></i><br /><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">&nbsp;Rinnen muß der Schweiss.</span></span></i><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">=</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">From the forehead hot<br />The sweat must run.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">{ 4. &nbsp; <i>zu Schicken</i>&nbsp;&nbsp; =&nbsp;&nbsp; to send }</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Tgq5mdtVkg/XqIvhdrWfqI/AAAAAAAAUiA/5WGvKn2z5VgNGLpntM2Nv0v3ari4RL1mACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Die%2BGlocke%2B5%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1040" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Tgq5mdtVkg/XqIvhdrWfqI/AAAAAAAAUiA/5WGvKn2z5VgNGLpntM2Nv0v3ari4RL1mACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Die%2BGlocke%2B5%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="416" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">O! dass sie ewig grünen bliebe, </span></span></i><br /><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Die schöne Zeit der jungen Liebe!</span></span></i><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">=</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">O! that she would stay green forever,<br />The beautiful time of young love!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">{ 5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <i>Als lumpen</i>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; =&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As rags }</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><i>{ ja! ja!&nbsp;&nbsp; = &nbsp;</i> yes! yes! <i>}</i></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-49Q5Gu2VHtA/XqIvndyFVmI/AAAAAAAAUiE/KFmdPwXFWRYeKRvGsXTuDxvIzkU3hel8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Die%2BGlocke%2B6%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1028" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-49Q5Gu2VHtA/XqIvndyFVmI/AAAAAAAAUiE/KFmdPwXFWRYeKRvGsXTuDxvIzkU3hel8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Die%2BGlocke%2B6%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Der Mann muss hinaus</span></span></i><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>Ins feindliche Leben,</i>&nbsp; </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">=</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">The man must go out </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Into hostile life,&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">{ 6.&nbsp; <i>Doch hole ich mein Versprechen <br />gefallen sind belästige Dich wurt 8 karten</i> }</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">=<br />{ But I get my promise<br />8 cards are bothering you }</span></span><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CBVVY2Fy0A/XqIvtRRju7I/AAAAAAAAUiI/7aq1-dAF9l0K4qrK1mqmy8sgBAdP8jb6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Die%2BGlocke%2B7%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CBVVY2Fy0A/XqIvtRRju7I/AAAAAAAAUiI/7aq1-dAF9l0K4qrK1mqmy8sgBAdP8jb6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Die%2BGlocke%2B7%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="408" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>Nun kann der Guß beginnen !</i> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">=</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Now the casting can begin! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">{ 7.&nbsp; <i>für mich aber ist es ein sehr<br />auge___<span style="font-size: x-small;">(?)</span> Belästigen, darum erlaube<br />ich mir noch auf der 8ten</i> } </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">= </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">{ but for me it is a very<br />eyes --- bother, therefore allow<br />I'm still on the 8th }</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">{ für mich leider nicht!&nbsp; =&nbsp; unfortunately not for me! }</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k5jKINQk6VA/XqIvz1ab7uI/AAAAAAAAUiM/TC1Q1KeqOOgTcu5jn2mlJdMZ0nQaQWKegCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Die%2BGlocke%2B8%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k5jKINQk6VA/XqIvz1ab7uI/AAAAAAAAUiM/TC1Q1KeqOOgTcu5jn2mlJdMZ0nQaQWKegCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Die%2BGlocke%2B8%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="408" /></a></div><i><br /></i><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>Wehe, wenn sie losgelassen.&nbsp;</i> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">=</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Woe, when it is released. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">{ 8.&nbsp; <i>mein herzliche Grüsse zu senden.</i> }<br />= </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">{ to send my warm regards. }</span></span></div><br /><br /><br />This set of seven Austrian postcards depicts an eccentric gentleman reflecting on several short lines taken from the German poet Friedrich Schiller's poem "Das Lied von der Glocke"–"The Song of the Bell". All the cards were posted on the same day, 30 March 1903, to&nbsp; <i>Wohlgeborne Frau</i> Anna Ritschl. The postmark was stamped somewhere in the Austrian-Hungarian postal service to judge from the 5 heller Austrian stamp, but the city name is obscured. The "Wellborn" Mrs. Anna Ritschl resided in <i>Serben, Josefie 172</i>, which I think is a place name followed by a street address. But I've been unable to find any place names in Austria or central Europe that match my interpretation of the spelling or any other alternate letter combinations. The word <i>Serben </i>in German means Serbs, but the nation of Serbia is spelled <i>Serbien</i> so I don't think that has any connection. Considering that Austrian/German post card publishers identified the <i>Postkarte </i>media in 17 languages, many of which were common to parts of the Austrian-Hungarian empire, it's a wonder that mail was delivered with such simple addresses and in such flashy cursive handwriting. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-65zHDo_GKUw/XqIv9RYIvOI/AAAAAAAAUiU/DW1PEX7QSJ4dHyRDuA1spDXh9ynxyP02gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Die%2BGlocke%2B3%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="1600" height="412" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-65zHDo_GKUw/XqIv9RYIvOI/AAAAAAAAUiU/DW1PEX7QSJ4dHyRDuA1spDXh9ynxyP02gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Die%2BGlocke%2B3%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The writer numbered the cards in a sequence as a joke to Frau Ritschl, who was possibly his wife. Unfortunately I am missing the first card and maybe others. On the address side there is a publisher's mark, <span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">H. S. W. Serie 6</span>, with numbers for each card design, and the writer's No. 2 is printed as <span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Serie No. 10.</span> So there were at least 10 different cards in the publisher's original set, though it is odd that No. 10-(2) quotes the opening lines of this well-known poem.<br /><br />Here is "Die Glocke" postcard No. 1 which I happened to find this morning on a German eBay dealer's listings. It has a postmark from Berlin in 1904. I hope to get this one and maybe one day No. 9 and 10 to complete the series<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MbVDlPGqqFk/XqRcGEhONGI/AAAAAAAAUi8/8C8Va2lGwKAGqGgHPuJH4MZgJ86KURshwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Die%2BGlocke%2BNo%2B1%2Baa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1528" data-original-width="996" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MbVDlPGqqFk/XqRcGEhONGI/AAAAAAAAUi8/8C8Va2lGwKAGqGgHPuJH4MZgJ86KURshwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Die%2BGlocke%2BNo%2B1%2Baa.jpg" width="416" /></a></div><br /><br />It's a charming set that uses multiple cards to express a personal greeting, characteristic of a social fad that was very popular during the first decade of the postcard's introduction to the European postal service. In each image just beneath the man's right arm is a name and date: <span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Triebel—Wien XVIII 1902</span> printed on the card. I think this is the name of the photographer as in 1900 there was a studio in Wien with the name Triebel. But it could be the name of the comic character actor pictured. Clearly there is something funny about him that is lost in translation. <br /><br />Speaking of translation, the English translations of the German words in the poem and in the message are my own using Google's translate app to get a literal meaning. I welcome any improvements or corrections. <br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The poem's full title is <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_the_Bell" target="_blank">"Das Lied von der Glocke"</a> – "The Song of the Bell"</b>. It was written in 1798 by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_the_Bell" target="_blank">Friedrich Schiller</a> (1759–1805) and is considered one of the finest poems in German literature. Despite its length at 430 lines, it became a standard work for study in German and Austrian schools, and during the 19th century many of Schiller's lines would have been easily recognized by most German speakers. Clearly as depicted on these postcards from 1903 it was still a beloved poem that could convey the joy of life just using snippets of lines.<br /><br />Though I knew of Friedrich Schiller, a contemporary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832), I did not know of this poem or how celebrated it was in German culture until I bought these seven postcards. His poem uses an extended metaphor of a great bell to illustrate human life from birth through death. Schiller, who grew up living next to a bell foundry, was very familiar with how a bell was made and in his poem he describes much of the metal craft used in casting a bronze church bell while interweaving an idea of how the peal of the bell will be associated with baptisms, weddings, alarms for storms, fires, or even war, and then ultimately sound the death knell for a funeral. The words and symbolism connect to German values of hard work, craftsmanship, and respect for rural traditions and people. The poem has a motto in Latin that reads <i>"Vivos voco. Mortuos plango. Fulgura frango"</i>, which translates roughly as "I call the living, I mourn the dead, I repel lightning." In earlier times the tremendous clangor of a bell was thought to drive away thunderstorms.<br /><br />As it was published in 1798, Schiller was partly responding to the horrific excesses of the French revolution (1789–1799) and warning how war might again break the accord between the people of Europe. Which is exactly what happened when Napoleon Bonaparte came to power in 1800. It was also a time when the many German states and principalities were not yet united into one nation. In his poem Schiller ends with the sound of the bell signifying Peace, and I think that is what made the lines so powerful and memorable in the years following Schiller.<br /><br />Very soon after it was published "The Song of the Bell" was translated into other languages, but each time the rhythm and rhyme of Schiller's German words were adapted to suit the patterns of the new language. In comparing English translations I found a LOT of variation. Some editions may express Schiller's intent but frequently his poem is distorted by the translator's penchant for English poetic styles. Here are three versions of the last lines of "Das Lied von der Glocke" where the bell is first raised from the ground to show what I mean.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H8K7dob0pLU/XqOcKzXoNwI/AAAAAAAAUi0/TWV18MjTG1k58G1tsFXW8s9r7WO-GkVGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Last%2BStanza.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="1157" height="338" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H8K7dob0pLU/XqOcKzXoNwI/AAAAAAAAUi0/TWV18MjTG1k58G1tsFXW8s9r7WO-GkVGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Last%2BStanza.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />To illustrate why Schiller found the bell such an inspiring theme, here is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bqpHuloKZs" target="_blank">a video</a> taken in 2012 at the Grassmayr Bellfoundry in Innsbruck, Austria. This is the first test ringing of a gigantic bell commissioned for the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Mount Tabor in Israel. I think the bell is suspended over the pit where is was cast. It weighs 15,684 kg / 17.28 US tons, not counting its yoke and clapper. It's principal tone is a d/0.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6bqpHuloKZs" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br />In Schiller's pre-industrial time a great bell was one of the largest objects that could be produced by 18th century metallurgy, which was then more of an art than a science or technology. An artillery cannon was the next largest thing made from cast metal. (Excepting bronze statues which are not made for reasons of utility.)&nbsp; Both bells and cannon were difficult to manufacture, involving dangerous risk to the makers if done improperly. And in this era both made the loudest man-made noises then known to man—with one important difference. A bell tolls for a peaceful purpose, while a cannon roars for destructive violence. The percussive sound of each can physically rattle the heart and take ones breath away, which is something Schiller surely experienced and recognized how the bell could be used as a powerful metaphor.<br /><br />This week as I tried to understand how the short excerpted lines of Schiller's poem related to the funny old fellow on the postcards, I was struck by the difference between literature and music. To fully appreciate the humor of the postcards and the wisdom of Schiller demands a thorough understanding of the German language. In literature, language is always a barrier to understanding.<br /><br />But to play German music, or for that matter music from any national region, a person requires nothing more than a knowledge of music notation. Like mathematics, music is a universal language. And the enjoyment of music needs only a love for rhythm and melody. It is an art form that transcends national borders and connects humanity with a fundamental emotional bond.<br /><br />There are plenty of great poets in the English language, so I may be excused for not knowing about this famous German poem. But I do know one of Schiller's other works very well, which I believe many people know too without knowing the name of the poet. Do you recognize it?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Bom, Bom, Bom, Bom, <br />Bom, Bom, Bom, Bom, <br />Bom, Bom, Bom, Bom, <br />Bommmmm, - Bi, Bom,&nbsp; —&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <span style="font-size: small;">[repeat]</span> </span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br />It is, of course,&nbsp; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ode_to_Joy" target="_blank">"Ode to Joy"</a> or <i>"An die Freude"</i>, written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785 and used by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1824 for the final choral movement of his immortal <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._9_(Beethoven)" target="_blank">Symphony No. 9</a>.&nbsp; Beethoven's march tune is the most hum-able melody in the symphony (which I bet many readers are hearing in their head right now!) that enshrines Schiller's stirring words within the most glorious orchestral music every composed. I don't believe it is ever sung in performance in any language other than the original German. When non-German choruses sing it they must learn the words meaning from reading translations but they still sing Schiller's original words as interpreted by Beethoven's music.<br /><br /><br />Schiller died in 1805 and I don't think he ever met Beethoven, though I expect Ludwig was very familiar with all of Schiller's poems. But fate and Beethoven's supreme musical artistry led him to choose <i>"An die Freude" </i>as a subject for his final symphony now recognized around the world. In 1972 it was adapted by the European Union as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthem_of_Europe" target="_blank">Anthem of the Europe</a>. We can only imagine what Friedrich and Ludwig would think of the unification of the European people, and the use of their very abridged music and poem.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Would they shake their heads in dismay<br />that something was lost in translation?</span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pckLAGL0yjQ" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/04/sepia-saturday-517-saturday-25-april.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a>.<br />Shhh! Quiet! This is a library weekend.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/04/sepia-saturday-517-saturday-25-april.html" target="_blank"><img alt="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-crDenjyMb9Q/XqHAUM9RZJI/AAAAAAACAJI/ngw1ueM0py0W-hT1C9wDgjt_1eOninR1ACPcBGAsYHg/s1600/2004118x.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-crDenjyMb9Q/XqHAUM9RZJI/AAAAAAACAJI/ngw1ueM0py0W-hT1C9wDgjt_1eOninR1ACPcBGAsYHg/s400/2004118x.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-48092011967945826712020-04-17T21:01:00.000-04:002020-04-17T21:01:09.630-04:00My Chum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SB3E9OGnaIA/XpmzlmWGCsI/AAAAAAAAUgw/RzVel-ikrxInu4MLmLqlz4mV_R2hVrbxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/North%2BBrookline%2BGirls%2BOrch%2Btst%2BDd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="835" data-original-width="996" height="534" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SB3E9OGnaIA/XpmzlmWGCsI/AAAAAAAAUgw/RzVel-ikrxInu4MLmLqlz4mV_R2hVrbxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/North%2BBrookline%2BGirls%2BOrch%2Btst%2BDd.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Dear uncle and aunt: How are you</span></span></i></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vBO2CsPS0Gs/XpmymzDcFQI/AAAAAAAAUgE/ELJxnTEtetwS-HjyBK52GuCVrnPkvfTAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/North%2BBrookline%2BGirls%2BOrch%2Btst%2BE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1257" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vBO2CsPS0Gs/XpmymzDcFQI/AAAAAAAAUgE/ELJxnTEtetwS-HjyBK52GuCVrnPkvfTAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/North%2BBrookline%2BGirls%2BOrch%2Btst%2BE.jpg" width="610" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><i>Is Auntie getting better?&nbsp; We have</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><i>been looking for a letter from you <br />for a long time;</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_mpneTAUjKU/XpmyrTw9JgI/AAAAAAAAUgM/BfbbyLIo2acU8OASrUll0GdL5_t0kULQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/North%2BBrookline%2BGirls%2BOrch%2Btst%2BF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1291" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_mpneTAUjKU/XpmyrTw9JgI/AAAAAAAAUgM/BfbbyLIo2acU8OASrUll0GdL5_t0kULQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/North%2BBrookline%2BGirls%2BOrch%2Btst%2BF.jpg" width="594" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><i>we are </i></span></span>all well <br />only mama has a cold<br />and I am awful lonesome<br />Zela.</span></span></i></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UDm_tEeGTHw/Xpmywqh8tSI/AAAAAAAAUgQ/vaC1ynf2u5UiQT2BMp8O3U1MSMdhJqEJACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/North%2BBrookline%2BGirls%2BOrch%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="1600" height="394" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UDm_tEeGTHw/Xpmywqh8tSI/AAAAAAAAUgQ/vaC1ynf2u5UiQT2BMp8O3U1MSMdhJqEJACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/North%2BBrookline%2BGirls%2BOrch%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">my chum.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />myself.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; chum's sister.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Posted from North Brooksville, Maine<br />on June 28, 1906<br />to Mr. Milton C. Williams<br />Hartland, Maine</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ucZpgLB2XI/Xpmy08aqwrI/AAAAAAAAUgU/yBv3ZH0YsMgJKQEnYtmTS7rwzKC853FxQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/North%2BBrookline%2BGirls%2BOrch%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="1500" height="406" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ucZpgLB2XI/Xpmy08aqwrI/AAAAAAAAUgU/yBv3ZH0YsMgJKQEnYtmTS7rwzKC853FxQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/North%2BBrookline%2BGirls%2BOrch%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />This postcard photo shows a small string ensemble of 13 young women ages 10 to 18. Most are holding violins but there is one cellist, a snare drummer, a cornet player (back left), a pianist (seated holding a roll of sheet music),&nbsp; and curiously in the center a harpist. The sender's name I interpret as Zela because her <u>e</u>,<u>l</u>,<u>a</u>, are consistent with her other words and the first capital written with her looping style looks more <u>Z</u><i> </i>than <u>L</u> to <u>me</u>. She is holding a violin partly hidden and she looks the oldest, maybe 18 going on 38.<br /><br />The photo has faded with a lot of silvering so I've corrected the contrast using digital software. All the girls appear in nearly identical dark dresses that resemble the austere fashions of female orchestras/bands from orphanages. But as Zela mentions her mother, I don't think these girls are orphans, despite their gloomy expressions. Instead I think they are from a Catholic school. The youngest girl wears a crucifix, and several other have a medallion that may have Catholic symbolism. In any case, I don't think the photo was taken in North Brooksville because it was too small a community.<br /><br /><br />North Brooksville, Maine, not to be confused with West Brooksville, South Brooksville, Brooksville Corner, or Harborside is now conveniently known as just <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooksville,_Maine" target="_blank">Brooksville</a>, in Hancock County, Maine. Located south of Bangor, North Brooksville was and is a small village situated on the peninsula west of Mt Desert Island, the site of beautiful Acadia National Park. In 1910 it contributed to the population of Brooksville community of 1,176 residents. Like much of the Maine coastline, the area has always had many summertime visitors, and I suspect that Zela may have been one of those vacationers or perhaps she and/or her parents found seasonal work there. There was a private boarding school a half mile away in Blue Hill, ME but I think in 1906 it was still only for boys. So I suspect this was a school photo taken somewhere else in Maine, perhaps near Hartland, ME which was about 75 miles northwest of North Brooksville.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rOrDUvCrfWU/Xpmy4-zerBI/AAAAAAAAUgc/1LP6DrobtCEcJ60PHlLQa3hYqkAbVciYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/North%2BBrookline%2BGirls%2BOrch%2Btst%2BG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1130" data-original-width="1140" height="634" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rOrDUvCrfWU/Xpmy4-zerBI/AAAAAAAAUgc/1LP6DrobtCEcJ60PHlLQa3hYqkAbVciYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/North%2BBrookline%2BGirls%2BOrch%2Btst%2BG.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">When she wrote her note<br />to her uncle and aunt, <br />Zela thoughtfully marked herself<br />thinking they might otherwise <br />not notice her in the group.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Little could she imagine <br />that one hundred fourteen years later<br />her mark also allows the people of the future<br />to recognize her and her chum<br />and her chum's sister too.</span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">She's not so lonesome now.</span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XSEyhaumZZ4/XpnFYeHmE-I/AAAAAAAAUg4/rf23gy1_Ing-0OMU-YYOyiLh0YQEEeWPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/North%2BBrookline%2BGirls%2BOrch%2Btst%2BH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XSEyhaumZZ4/XpnFYeHmE-I/AAAAAAAAUg4/rf23gy1_Ing-0OMU-YYOyiLh0YQEEeWPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/North%2BBrookline%2BGirls%2BOrch%2Btst%2BH.jpg" width="556" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/04/sepia-saturday-516-18th-april-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a><br />where flower power is in full force.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/04/sepia-saturday-516-18th-april-2020.html" target="_blank"><img alt="https://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/04/sepia-saturday-516-18th-april-2020.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O3ZG1EXWmdw/XphVDtyuUJI/AAAAAAAB_4Q/EUfO96LONqAh4Jcurq3sbbntdsx1amvvgCPcBGAsYHg/s400/2004009x.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-46800757892253517652020-04-11T17:08:00.001-04:002020-04-12T11:33:52.590-04:00The Star Ball Bearing Axle Band<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2ybp7r4gQmg/Xo-5_uXDiJI/AAAAAAAAUdw/p-ZI9_3J7xggLImdNiZc8WxwFKgx7nZCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1908%2Btst%2BCC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="997" data-original-width="1000" height="636" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2ybp7r4gQmg/Xo-5_uXDiJI/AAAAAAAAUdw/p-ZI9_3J7xggLImdNiZc8WxwFKgx7nZCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1908%2Btst%2BCC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It only takes an instant.<br />In a blink of an eye,<br />or more accurately<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; text-align: left;">​</span><span class="frac nowrap" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; text-align: left; white-space: nowrap;"><sub style="line-height: 1;"><i style="white-space: normal;"><span class="frac nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;"><sup style="line-height: 1;">1</sup>⁄<sub style="line-height: 1;">125</sub></span></i>&nbsp;</sub></span>th of a second<br />the camera shutter <br />captures an image&nbsp;onto the film.&nbsp;</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0e4_23itLt8/Xo-6TcIBf6I/AAAAAAAAUd4/SII0nvaMi9IIKA-Q6Jyi3cYxjFbnUucdACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1908%2Btst%2BDD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="1100" height="602" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0e4_23itLt8/Xo-6TcIBf6I/AAAAAAAAUd4/SII0nvaMi9IIKA-Q6Jyi3cYxjFbnUucdACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1908%2Btst%2BDD.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">But as any photographer knows,<br />to take&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: large;">a good group photo</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />you need much more time.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">First choose a good background</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">to arrange the frame.<br />Then decide where to place the camera.<br />Too close risks clipping a head,<br />but too far loses the details <br />and increases the shadows.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G9jWROS7d5I/Xo-6b7alI2I/AAAAAAAAUd8/zWFiaB3H7zcsTCtrIgKqzyH9GQMBUJliwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1908%2Btst%2BEE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="900" height="592" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G9jWROS7d5I/Xo-6b7alI2I/AAAAAAAAUd8/zWFiaB3H7zcsTCtrIgKqzyH9GQMBUJliwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1908%2Btst%2BEE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">But the biggest challenge of photographing <br />a large group of people<br />is getting their cooperation.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Assemble into an orderly line.<br />Short folks in front, taller ones at the back.<br />Everyone look at the camera.<br />Smile, please.<br />Click.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RxN-4kjjg2Q/Xo-6gSoKPFI/AAAAAAAAUeA/71knH-ZeSZA5bU3IcFhTE7frrBh1ST2nACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1908%2Btst%2BFF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="765" data-original-width="1000" height="488" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RxN-4kjjg2Q/Xo-6gSoKPFI/AAAAAAAAUeA/71knH-ZeSZA5bU3IcFhTE7frrBh1ST2nACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1908%2Btst%2BFF.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">On one November day in 1908<br />at the Princeton, Illinois Farmer's Carnival</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">an unnamed photographer</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />got it all to work perfectly<br />and recorded a beautiful photo<br />of the <b>Ball Bearing Axle Band</b>.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JGxrqrswADs/XpHrjXOIz8I/AAAAAAAAUfc/0zUPURbuAXU3BjhrjESmtMl28QXsGHM8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1908%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" height="398" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JGxrqrswADs/XpHrjXOIz8I/AAAAAAAAUfc/0zUPURbuAXU3BjhrjESmtMl28QXsGHM8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1908%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Thirteen bandsmen, most dressed in white military-style hats and long duster coats stand outside on the pavement in front of a barber shop. Around the doorway are starry banners with a decorative sign spelling out the shop name, <i>Abel's Parlor,</i> in little flowery paper disks. In the windows hang two small notices announcing&nbsp;<i>CARNIVAL.</i><br /><br />On the right is the stern bandleader holding a cornet. An older man in his 60s with grizzled beard and spectacles, he wears a dark suit with formal white tie and vest. His hat, an older kepi style, is different too, probably worn to distinguish his bandmaster position and previous musical background.<br /><br />The ensemble is typical of a so-called "cornet band" with mostly brass instruments and a clarinet and piccolo to cover the descant treble parts. But what makes this band especially unique is that there are two men of color among the musicians. Standing in the center is an African-American man with a tenor horn. And on the left is a man with a piccolo in his coat pocket whose dark complexion and high cheekbones suggest, I think, a Native-American ancestry. Finding musicians like this in a music ensemble from 1908 is very rare to see.<br /><br />It is one of my favorite postcard photos of a small town band. The lighting, the camera's clear focus, and the arrangement of instruments and musicians are all flawless. But it is the way the photographer&nbsp; chose exactly the right moment to record the eyes, smiles, and expressions onto the film that makes this photo so appealing. I'm certain when the photographer saw the positive image revealed in his darkroom, he thought to himself, "Ooh, this is a good one!"<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The postcard was never mailed but was sent in a letter, presumably in 1908,<br />to Miss Anna Halberg, Princeton, Illinois..</div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-STrgS5Vo2QA/Xo-6qDM3o3I/AAAAAAAAUeI/3_ZFhFD3rhkOMKrtmi_GeNmo6KNf6WGvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1908%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1200" height="396" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-STrgS5Vo2QA/Xo-6qDM3o3I/AAAAAAAAUeI/3_ZFhFD3rhkOMKrtmi_GeNmo6KNf6WGvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1908%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Many thanks<br />for lovely<br />birthday card<br />which was<br />such a happy<br />surprise and much<br />appreciated. Your Friend<br />Mrs. Scott R. Coppine</i></span></div><br /><br />The writer was Caroline Coppin, the wife of Scott R. Coppin, one of the co-owners of the Star Ball Bearing Axle Company in Princeton, Illinois, who may even be one of the musicians in his band. It seems odd that Caroline chose to sign with her formal married name, but in 1908 she was age 36, and the recipient of her postcard photo was a much younger woman and of a different class. Anna Halberg, age 17, was one of five children in a Swedish immigrant family. In the 1910 census, she and her older sister were employed as servants in a <i>Private Home, </i>so I suspect Mrs. Coppin is graciously thanking Anna, her young housemaid, for her thoughtful&nbsp;card.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VvqUcbcF1GY/XpHxOMuBv5I/AAAAAAAAUfk/HeuQIZijJzwS-1FJE-qkd8eHcAeuYtY4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1908-04-02%2BAda%2BOK%2BEvening_News.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VvqUcbcF1GY/XpHxOMuBv5I/AAAAAAAAUfk/HeuQIZijJzwS-1FJE-qkd8eHcAeuYtY4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1908-04-02%2BAda%2BOK%2BEvening_News.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ada OK Evening News<br />8 April 1908</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Mr. Coppin's company manufactured an improved wheel bearing for horse-drawn carriages and wagons. Marketed around the Midwest for blacksmiths and cartwrights, their agent's advertisements asked, "<i>Why Grease A Buggy? When this Dirty Disagreeable Duty is definitely dispensed with by using the Star Ball Bearing Axle?</i>" These fittings could <i>save draft, drain, drudgery, Grease, Grain, Garments, temper, time and money. Warranted for Three Years and wheels need not be removed bu once a year in ordinary use. Its One of the One-ders of the 20th Century.&nbsp;</i><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CbLA3WVRVRM/Xo-8mbh_07I/AAAAAAAAUeY/6Km8wAKGTK0Zmt1Bjkrb4tpq5f_Crz2BwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1902-10-24%2BPrincton%2BIL%2BBureau%2BCounty%2BTribune%2B-%2BStar%2BAxel%2BAD.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="535" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CbLA3WVRVRM/Xo-8mbh_07I/AAAAAAAAUeY/6Km8wAKGTK0Zmt1Bjkrb4tpq5f_Crz2BwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1902-10-24%2BPrincton%2BIL%2BBureau%2BCounty%2BTribune%2B-%2BStar%2BAxel%2BAD.JPG" width="334" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Princeton IL <i>Bureau County Tribune</i><br />24 October 1902</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />When it started in about 1900, the firm was called the <b>Star Ball Bearing Axle Co</b>. but in&nbsp; 1905 it changed its name to the Evans, Coppin, &amp; Starks Company. However its product line retained the Star brand name. I don't believe the company ever developed into a large manufacturer but more likely remained just a modest-sized machine shop.<br /><br />The town&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeton,_Illinois#Demographics" target="_blank">Princeton, Illinois</a>, is located about 100 miles west of Chicago, and in 1910 had just 4,131 citizens. Some of the bandsmen may have been employees at the company but several of their hat badges read: <i>Princeton. </i>So I suspect that the Star Ball Bearing Axle Co, were merely sponsors of the band. It's curious too that the company called its product the <u><i>Star</i></u> Ball Bearing Axle, but the bass drum has a 1/4 moon shape on one side labeled <i>Crescent </i>with a five-pointed star on the other side labeled <i>Star</i>. It suggests a kind of masonic connection, but maybe <i>Star </i>was just a reference to one of the firm's partners, Mr. Starks.<br /><br />In this era rural communities often promoted a local business and vice versa. The local newspaper was a county weekly and on the occasions it referred to the Star Ball Bearing Axle Co. it was for their baseball team. The band was just called the "Princeton Band."<br /><br />The occasion in 1908 was the Farmer's Carnival, an annual fair held in Princeton, which was the&nbsp;county seat of Bureau County, Illinois. That year it was scheduled for the first week of November and of course there would be the typical circus-type entertainments, carnival fun, agricultural competitions, and music from the local band.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br />But the amusements at the Princeton Farmer's Carnival of 1908 were marred by a freak tragedy witnessed by over a thousand people. As a lead attraction for the five day fair, the carnival committee hired a "Professor" Peter Kramer from St. Louis to demonstrate balloon ascensions. On Tuesday that week he was forced to abandon his first attempt because the wind was so strong that it threatened to blow the balloon's canvas covering into the flame heater he was using to inflate the hot-air balloon. Infuriated that he missed out on $50 promised for his first ascent, "Prof." Kramer declared he would go up the next day no matter what the wind.<br /><br />The weather on Wednesday was still too brisk and the Princeton authorities enjoined him from flying at the fairgrounds because there were overhead wires that made it unsafe. They promised to cover his expenses and let him make more ascents on the remaining days of the fair. Still Kramer insisted he would take his balloon up, and that afternoon he found another open field near a church that he claimed was enough protected from wind that it would be suitable for his balloon's ascent.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R6b8BbOqMTo/Xo_LpkJ1RyI/AAAAAAAAUeg/Cd74ludWig0r5szEny4qFsYGPeomvD-SQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1908-11-06%2BDixon%2BIL%2BEvening_Telegraph%2B-%2BTragedy%2Bat%2BPrinceton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1465" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R6b8BbOqMTo/Xo_LpkJ1RyI/AAAAAAAAUeg/Cd74ludWig0r5szEny4qFsYGPeomvD-SQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1908-11-06%2BDixon%2BIL%2BEvening_Telegraph%2B-%2BTragedy%2Bat%2BPrinceton.jpg" width="366" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dixon IL <i>Evening Telegraph</i><br />6 November 1908</td></tr></tbody></table>The balloon, which included a primitive parachute, was only partly inflated when Kramer abruptly ordered his crew to let go of the tether ropes. Suddenly the wind blew the balloon across the field and over the church, where Kramer struck a tall chimney. Torn loose from the balloon, he fell onto the steep roof and tumbled thirty feet to the ground.<br /><br />Nearby, a group of school children had assembled to watch the ascent. A seven-year-old boy was struck on the head by a chimney brick and seriously injured. The concussion broke the boy's skull which necessitated emergency surgery, but luckily he recovered.<br /><br />Prof. Kramer however did not survive and died minutes after being taken to a doctor's office. He was only 26 years old and deemed not the expert balloonist he claimed to be. Instead his foolhardy fatal stunt revealed him as a raw amateur. Further inquiries pointed to Kramer's past work as a helper for another aeronaut, from whom he had picked up an old used balloon in an effort to set himself up as a traveling carnival showman. <br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Y-GJ1vvYKA/Xo_MPr1IwvI/AAAAAAAAUeo/OPfnjFfVjxowOcMBywkEB6jG8oC1xazBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1909%2Btst%2BE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="818" height="622" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Y-GJ1vvYKA/Xo_MPr1IwvI/AAAAAAAAUeo/OPfnjFfVjxowOcMBywkEB6jG8oC1xazBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1909%2Btst%2BE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Photos of larger groups<br />require more planning,<br />but the rules are the same.<br />First choose a good place <br />for the people&nbsp;and the camera.<br />Steps are always useful<br />to insure that everyone,<br />and every drum,&nbsp; <br />is in the shot.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sEJSGpSZ_yA/Xo_MVv90uwI/AAAAAAAAUes/RIAdskW-wJcXIVDIZ8ZE_nCsVCOPVh5oQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1909%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="689" height="624" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sEJSGpSZ_yA/Xo_MVv90uwI/AAAAAAAAUes/RIAdskW-wJcXIVDIZ8ZE_nCsVCOPVh5oQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1909%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The good photographer pays attention <br />to the time of day and the position of the sun.<br />You don't want squinty eyes or turned faces.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WrepfC450A4/Xo_Ma1_9KoI/AAAAAAAAUew/G8QHYKXYyyUpoNd1d9YONwQm3XrN9rJFACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1909%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="586" height="528" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WrepfC450A4/Xo_Ma1_9KoI/AAAAAAAAUew/G8QHYKXYyyUpoNd1d9YONwQm3XrN9rJFACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1909%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hats are okay,<br />but need to be pushed back on the head.,<br />Eyes front toward the camera.<br />Everyone ready?<br />Okay?<br />Now.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3fw7EYRfkek/Xo_MgqXPHYI/AAAAAAAAUe4/IHb0Tn6OibwEKPmzKRvLH4mCGV9RS_FGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1909%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="1600" height="408" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3fw7EYRfkek/Xo_MgqXPHYI/AAAAAAAAUe4/IHb0Tn6OibwEKPmzKRvLH4mCGV9RS_FGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Axle%2BBall%2BBearing%2BCo%2BBand%2B1909%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />It's another year and another carnival, and the Star Ball Bearing Axle Band of Princeton is back for another photo. This time they are joined by another band from LaSalle, Illinois, a town on the Illinois river about 27 miles east of Princeton, for the Red Men Carnival of 1909. There are 27 bandsmen altogether posed on the steps of the Princeton Apollo Theater. The LaSalle bandsmen are dressed in dark uniforms with kepi style hats, while the Princeton bandsmen wear light color wool suits or coats with white hats. In the front center is the distinctive bass drum of the Star Ball Bearing Axle Band. The photographer left a logo, Dunham Photo, which may be the same that took the photo in 1908. This postcard has a slight imperfection in the print which left a shadow outline distortion.<br /><br />The Princeton band still number 13 but some faces are new, replacing musicians in the earlier photo. The band leader is the cornet player to the right of the the bass drum and he looks different from the leader in 1908. His LaSalle counterpart is the cornetist on the front right. he 1908 band. I leave it to the readers to see how many players are the same. The obvious one is the black tenorhorn player standing top right.<br /><br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cbdcjRmg_gs/Xo_Oof62DHI/AAAAAAAAUfQ/fExDMBl9XAcNDRqpuU7yObyCFotm0uRvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1909-10-15%2BPrincton%2BIL%2BBureau%2BCounty%2BTribune%2B-%2BAs%2BYou%2BLike%2BIt%2BADVERT.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="468" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cbdcjRmg_gs/Xo_Oof62DHI/AAAAAAAAUfQ/fExDMBl9XAcNDRqpuU7yObyCFotm0uRvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1909-10-15%2BPrincton%2BIL%2BBureau%2BCounty%2BTribune%2B-%2BAs%2BYou%2BLike%2BIt%2BADVERT.JPG" width="319" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Princeton IL&nbsp;<i>Bureau County Tribune</i><br />15 October 1909</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The occasion was not the theatrical production advertised on the posters behind the bands. That show was <i>As You Like It</i> by Shakespeare. It was appearing on Saturday night, 16 October, 1909 with the eminent actor Mr. William Owen as the lead actor. His company was in the middle of a six month national tour playing two tragedies, <i>Othello</i>, and <i>The Merchant of Venice</i>, with the comedy, <i>As You Like It</i>. <br /><br />That weekend there was a big crowd in Princeton, but few people had come to see a high class Shakespeare farce. Instead most of the county turned out for a convention of&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Improved_Order_of_Red_Men" target="_blank">The Improved Order of Red Men</a>. The Princeton chapter of this a fraternal organization&nbsp;was hosting a benefit carnival, as several hundred members of the society gathered to conduct official business. One of the quirks of this society was that its members, all white men, put on parades and events dressed as American Indians in imitation of the Sons of Liberty, the group credited with instigating the Boston Tea Party.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br />Two images from a book of <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=-GJlIXYTvccC&amp;pg=PA95&amp;lpg=PA95&amp;dq=%22Ball+Bearing+Axle+Band%22&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=XKzuW5irFm&amp;sig=fgeu_KcJTo5a7CwFUEENDlE_Vck&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjlmeHZtcvJAhXLox4KHWWNDzoQ6AEINTAE#v=onepage&amp;q=carnival&amp;f=false" target="_blank">historic photos of Princeton, Illinois</a> record this same Red Men Carnival of 1909. In this picture we can see Princeton's main street set up for the fair with a throng of people. In the background is a temporary bandstand, and if you look carefully you can spot the bass drum of the Star Ball Bearing Axle Band.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jFVzXa-gqc0/Xo_Ms3Hvh_I/AAAAAAAAUfA/AUPzharXuz81w78vk4jYS8ZP2-FfyiVxACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1909%2BPrincton%2BIL%2BD_A_Belden%2BAxle%2BBall%2BBearing%2Bdrum%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="1062" height="376" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jFVzXa-gqc0/Xo_Ms3Hvh_I/AAAAAAAAUfA/AUPzharXuz81w78vk4jYS8ZP2-FfyiVxACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1909%2BPrincton%2BIL%2BD_A_Belden%2BAxle%2BBall%2BBearing%2Bdrum%2B2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />The second photo of that carnival day shows a circus aerialist demonstrating a daring stunt. No doubt many in the crowd watching it, remembering the tragic accident of the previous fall, became very anxious as the string of pennants shows that the wind is blowing pretty hard too. Once again the Ball Bearing Axle Band's bass drum is there.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yxhcxnfra_A/Xo_M4vYxaBI/AAAAAAAAUfI/5HSaIIdv9SASqh7xOmmntjEph9MzVTVYACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1909%2BPrincton%2BIL%2BD_A_Belden%2BAxle%2BBall%2BBearing%2Bdrum%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="618" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yxhcxnfra_A/Xo_M4vYxaBI/AAAAAAAAUfI/5HSaIIdv9SASqh7xOmmntjEph9MzVTVYACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1909%2BPrincton%2BIL%2BD_A_Belden%2BAxle%2BBall%2BBearing%2Bdrum%2B1.JPG" width="446" /></a></div><br /><br />As far as I can tell the Star Ball Bearing Axle Band stopped performing shortly after 1909. Members may have moved away or changed bands. The Red Men Band was supposedly one of the best fraternal order bands in the region, so maybe some bandsmen joined that group. For the next century Princeton continued to be fond of its fairs which continue today. But by the decade of 1910, the days when greasing your squeaky buggy axle was a worry had passed, and the Evans, Coppin &amp; Starks Co. ceased making ball bearing axles. I wonder if the bass drum survived for a bit longer.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/04/sepia-saturday-515-11-april-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a><br />where delivery is always free.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/04/sepia-saturday-515-11-april-2020.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/04/sepia-saturday-515-11-april-2020.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J23pK2aHgy0/Xo8kugz03SI/AAAAAAAB_ns/BndH_MbJGkU1jbTMMdyJ6FoEDfpupPiFwCKgBGAsYHg/s400/2003518.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-13677086823273495172020-04-03T23:09:00.002-04:002020-04-28T14:00:35.417-04:00Don't Forget to Write!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qFcqMbIEVeQ/XodomdA1cfI/AAAAAAAAUb8/rBjojAd1VmYjfcDzsWFbKq4qmtBfFnc9ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Kartensmmlerin%2B1%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1267" data-original-width="1340" height="604" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qFcqMbIEVeQ/XodomdA1cfI/AAAAAAAAUb8/rBjojAd1VmYjfcDzsWFbKq4qmtBfFnc9ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Kartensmmlerin%2B1%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are weekends<br />when I know that I have the perfect photo <br />to feature on my blog.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />If only I can remember which album it's in.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e_ea8Cw-cOs/Xodo2deeYdI/AAAAAAAAUcE/RvA0S7TmqDkiKZWnOgYJO8PBObWe999pgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Schreibe%2Bbald%2Bwieder%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="1500" height="534" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e_ea8Cw-cOs/Xodo2deeYdI/AAAAAAAAUcE/RvA0S7TmqDkiKZWnOgYJO8PBObWe999pgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Schreibe%2Bbald%2Bwieder%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then comes the hard part—<br />writing something original<br />and still appropriate for the pictures I've chosen.<br />Should I be witty or factual?<br />Clever or serious?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Does anyone really care?<br />It's not like I'm writing a dissertation<br />with a thousand footnotes.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yuXL3ughUg4/Xoflfu80MxI/AAAAAAAAUdA/EelRwU-65PI-_Ktxyi1nxDdR_hwj2fgogCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Gedenke%2Bmein%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yuXL3ughUg4/Xoflfu80MxI/AAAAAAAAUdA/EelRwU-65PI-_Ktxyi1nxDdR_hwj2fgogCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Gedenke%2Bmein%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lot's of times<br />I've got nothing <br />and have to stare at the images<br />for inspiration or just motivation.<br />Is there's some little detail I've missed?<br />Did I get all the dates correct?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Maybe I should skip this weekend.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-liljkcl22vA/Xodo7TFr_AI/AAAAAAAAUcI/tm9e66N34W0sNZgHdvmRzrMfTp49wPtPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Scherzo%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="1500" height="554" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-liljkcl22vA/Xodo7TFr_AI/AAAAAAAAUcI/tm9e66N34W0sNZgHdvmRzrMfTp49wPtPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Scherzo%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">But if I can get beyond the first few paragraphs<br />the words fly off my keyboard.<br />It's really like making music.<br />Once the tune is moving,<br />the harmony joins in,<br />and the rhythm sets the groove.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">That's when I know I've found<br />the joy of sharing<br />these beautiful images with the world.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This weekend I present four postcards<br />by the Austrian artist, <a href="https://www.martindulouvre.com/artists/torggler/" target="_blank"><b>Herman Torggler,</b></a> (1878-1939).<br />I've featured his etchings of charming young women before <br />in <a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2019/03/austrian-postcard-girls.html" target="_blank">The Girls of Austrian Postcards,</a> <br /><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2019/08/up-up-and-away.html" target="_blank">Up, Up, and Away!,</a> <br /><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2019/11/ein-schones-madchen.html" target="_blank">Ein schönes Mädchen,</a> <br />and <a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2020/01/to-your-health.html" target="_blank">To Your Health!</a></span> </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a5rDje0aIqw/XodpAfQkc7I/AAAAAAAAUcM/e-6tUjxVOKo_KN185IIqi3rbjU3w3haHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Kartensmmlerin%2B1%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1052" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a5rDje0aIqw/XodpAfQkc7I/AAAAAAAAUcM/e-6tUjxVOKo_KN185IIqi3rbjU3w3haHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Kartensmmlerin%2B1%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first postcard etching by Herr Torggler<br />is entitled:<br /><b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>Kartensammlerin</i><br />~<br />Card collector.</span></b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A beautiful young woman <br />wearing an elegant housedress<br />stands in her drawing room<br />at the very moment she is about to open<br />her postcard album for us.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This postcard was sent from <br />Leipzig, Germnany<br />on 25 September 1899<br />to Fräulein Elly Naumann<br />of Königsberg.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UuNZgLgehlY/XodpFjhNa5I/AAAAAAAAUcQ/HU7KddPq2bo590gewCTYL3805QZmgteagCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Kartensmmlerin%2B1%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="981" data-original-width="1500" height="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UuNZgLgehlY/XodpFjhNa5I/AAAAAAAAUcQ/HU7KddPq2bo590gewCTYL3805QZmgteagCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Kartensmmlerin%2B1%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--iAqEW1rQd0/XodpLbw1juI/AAAAAAAAUcc/Z_yX3Otxc6YFzA528T41oEg_9ny12O6nACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Schreibe%2Bbald%2Bwieder%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="1600" height="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--iAqEW1rQd0/XodpLbw1juI/AAAAAAAAUcc/Z_yX3Otxc6YFzA528T41oEg_9ny12O6nACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Schreibe%2Bbald%2Bwieder%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The second postcard etching<br />is captioned:<br /><b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>Schreibe bald wieder!</i><br />~<br /><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span class="" title="">Write again soon!</span></span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span class="" title="">A young lady ponders over <br />what she will write in a letter<br />as she sits at a table with a quill pen in hand.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span class="" title="">This was posted on 1 May 1900 <br />from Rosa of Nuremberg<br />to Fräulein&nbsp; Kathche Klein of Vorra, Bavaria.</span></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U4P3pEkA0nY/XodpPDLot-I/AAAAAAAAUcg/Dguw5X8DYcEibXtxRtVJM5-6I7-8kkoJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Schreibe%2Bbald%2Bwieder%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1500" height="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U4P3pEkA0nY/XodpPDLot-I/AAAAAAAAUcg/Dguw5X8DYcEibXtxRtVJM5-6I7-8kkoJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Schreibe%2Bbald%2Bwieder%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kbWi0mvnXlo/XofoVYPs_SI/AAAAAAAAUdI/tLX3HYRk3f00uPdXoCTfiODA-TZekus0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Gedenke%2Bmein%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="422" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kbWi0mvnXlo/XofoVYPs_SI/AAAAAAAAUdI/tLX3HYRk3f00uPdXoCTfiODA-TZekus0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Gedenke%2Bmein%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The third postcard is entitled<br /><b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>Gendenke mein !</i><br />~<br />Remember mine !</span></b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Another young woman sits in a chair<br />contemplating a small framed photo or painting<br />that is on a table before her.<br />&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I used another copy of this card <br />in <a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2019/03/austrian-postcard-girls.html" target="_blank">The Girls of Austrian Postcards,</a></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">but this one has been softly tinted with colored pencil<br />with perhaps a bit too much attention made to the eyebrows.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The postcard was sent <br />via the Bavarian Postal Service<br />from Moosburg to Kemnath<br />on 20 November 1901.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VbA4Nr7UEpI/XofoaAOfI1I/AAAAAAAAUdM/2pYmYBejy5gY86n70W73zJZhxArFfhCwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Gedenke%2Bmein%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="923" data-original-width="1400" height="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VbA4Nr7UEpI/XofoaAOfI1I/AAAAAAAAUdM/2pYmYBejy5gY86n70W73zJZhxArFfhCwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Gedenke%2Bmein%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0_5TPLnTHGk/XodpUsGi1PI/AAAAAAAAUck/kfH_9-tUBi8OlWW4nB0fQqH3T1dKw0TewCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Scherzo%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="1600" height="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0_5TPLnTHGk/XodpUsGi1PI/AAAAAAAAUck/kfH_9-tUBi8OlWW4nB0fQqH3T1dKw0TewCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Scherzo%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The last postcard is simply entitled<br />with the Italian musical term:<br /><b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>Scherzo</i><br />~<br />Jest</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The same girl as in the first postcard<br />is out in a garden<br />about to serenade us with a springtime song<br />and accompanying herself on a four string cittern.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Extra points if you can spot the artist's signature.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This card was posted <br />from Wiesbaden to Charlottenburg<br />on 12 May 1902.</span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q22LmCKMY2s/XodpYD8WtCI/AAAAAAAAUcs/A2BV2zCuH5silt9BmI1Tbhi8OfQHcuCHACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Scherzo%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1400" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q22LmCKMY2s/XodpYD8WtCI/AAAAAAAAUcs/A2BV2zCuH5silt9BmI1Tbhi8OfQHcuCHACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Scherzo%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The charm and delight <br />of Torrgler's beautiful artwork is timeless.<br />Looking at them transports me <br />from the troubled present <br />back to another time and place <br />that's seems blissfully calm and serene.<br />I hope his postcards may bring my readers</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">some cheer</span><span style="font-size: large;"> in this time of great anxiety.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/04/sepia-saturday-514-4-april-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a><br />where a good book is always your best friend.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/04/sepia-saturday-514-4-april-2020.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/04/sepia-saturday-514-4-april-2020.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bg1iaS0mxWE/XoXAc-kBNlI/AAAAAAAB_Ms/ZGGeda94eKQd1ohYHe0Q6YuHVN467_SxACKgBGAsYHg/s400/2003517.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-51479887406917711562020-03-28T18:21:00.004-04:002020-03-29T11:21:59.654-04:00Herr Julian Kändt and his Austrian Blue Band<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XwcWz8DffzA/Xnuigj_e3yI/AAAAAAAAUXg/Dn4iWCYllWw3-D4AOGkrUSgRKXRQ3y0oACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Julian%2BKandt%2527s%2BFamous%2BBand%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="982" data-original-width="1032" height="608" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XwcWz8DffzA/Xnuigj_e3yI/AAAAAAAAUXg/Dn4iWCYllWw3-D4AOGkrUSgRKXRQ3y0oACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Julian%2BKandt%2527s%2BFamous%2BBand%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A conductor commands the pulse of his musicians. </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">They know the notes and rhythms</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">but they can't begin until </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">they see the flick of the baton.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">And even then <br />the speed they play <br />is not of their choosing</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">but is strictly defined <br />by the conductor's gestures.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FwLUxDTDlCE/XnujcMkyTAI/AAAAAAAAUXo/4b3EAAVhyjUymmzbN9AkhcoCik2yAfwqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Blue%2BAustrian%2BBand%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FwLUxDTDlCE/XnujcMkyTAI/AAAAAAAAUXo/4b3EAAVhyjUymmzbN9AkhcoCik2yAfwqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Blue%2BAustrian%2BBand%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="606" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A band leader manages the show business of a concert.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">He books the engagements; signs the contracts;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">hires the soloists; </span><span style="font-size: large;">procures the uniforms;<br />a</span><span style="font-size: large;">rranges the stage setup;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: large;">and most importantly,</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">pays the musicians.</span><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hkLJVmRaeys/Xn1I1ClwA7I/AAAAAAAAUaQ/mcRi1mU2JhIRRMnmUSztnBscfmNGyf-cACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Herr%2BKandt%2B2%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1423" data-original-width="1400" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hkLJVmRaeys/Xn1I1ClwA7I/AAAAAAAAUaQ/mcRi1mU2JhIRRMnmUSztnBscfmNGyf-cACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Herr%2BKandt%2B2%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="628" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A music director selects the concert program,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">arranging the music like a chef prepares a menu</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">to create a musical feast <br />that will please every kind of palate. </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Not all conductors <br />have the business sense to be a good band leader.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">And not all band leaders<br />have the artistic talent to be a music director.</span><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-66wnvcnlVQc/XnupnNQbFHI/AAAAAAAAUX4/imYL0cvZCYczJyKfwvb3t8XI0_J63BofwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1912-08-01%2BHull%2BDaily%2BMail%2B-%2BJulian%2BKandt%2Bcaracture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="508" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-66wnvcnlVQc/XnupnNQbFHI/AAAAAAAAUX4/imYL0cvZCYczJyKfwvb3t8XI0_J63BofwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1912-08-01%2BHull%2BDaily%2BMail%2B-%2BJulian%2BKandt%2Bcaracture.JPG" width="292" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hull <i>Daily Mail</i><br />1 August 1912</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is the story of one conductor <br />who had all the necessary musical skills and more.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">He was a band leader who valued his musicians,</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">a music director who knew his audience,</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">and for extra bonus,<br />a violinist who played enchanting melodies.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">His name was <b>Herr Julian Kändt</b>,</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">the favorite of Bridlington's New Spa.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jhdEiGdxJpY/XnuqJTHZv1I/AAAAAAAAUYA/bA9_hU3PtdQYQ7RdP55b8h6MsOSxC_8ggCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Julian%2BKandt%2527s%2BFamous%2BBand%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="982" data-original-width="1600" height="392" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jhdEiGdxJpY/XnuqJTHZv1I/AAAAAAAAUYA/bA9_hU3PtdQYQ7RdP55b8h6MsOSxC_8ggCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Julian%2BKandt%2527s%2BFamous%2BBand%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />In this first photo postcard, Julian Kändt stands on a small stage with his "Famous Band", as noted in the caption, at the New Spa Bridlington, 1910. With him are 17 musicians dressed in splendid uniform coats with military type hats. There are seven string players from violin to double bass. And an assortment of wind instruments including two horns, cornets, trombone, flute, and clarinet.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The location was&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridlington" target="_blank">Bridlington</a>, a town in East Riding of Yorkshire, on the North Sea coastline of England. Promoted today as the "Lobster Capital of Europe", in the 19th century Bridlington became noted for its mineral water spring that turned it into a seaside spa and holiday resort. By the late-1890s developers had built numerous amenities and amusements that attracted thousands of seasonal visitors from around Britain and Europe.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tgT0hHMsbF4/Xnutnn0-EYI/AAAAAAAAUYI/r3bPBFMgx_8HJfLj6XIHUolXhsq396mpwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Bridlington%252C_the_parade_%2528i.e.%252C_promenade%2529%252C_Yorkshire%252C_England.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tgT0hHMsbF4/Xnutnn0-EYI/AAAAAAAAUYI/r3bPBFMgx_8HJfLj6XIHUolXhsq396mpwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Bridlington%252C_the_parade_%2528i.e.%252C_promenade%2529%252C_Yorkshire%252C_England.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1895 Bridlington Quay, The Parade, Yorkshire, England<br />Source: Wikipedia</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In July 1896 a private enterprise opened a theater and seaside pavilion on the southern end of Bridlington's beach front calling it the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridlington_Spa" target="_blank">Bridlington Spa</a>. After a fire destroyed its&nbsp;theatre in 1906 it was quickly rebuilt as the New Spa. In this next postcard we can see an ornate octagonal structure pushing out into the promenade. This is the band stand, which I believe, is where Herr&nbsp;Kändt posed with his bandsmen facing an interior garden. Though the shadows are dark, I think there is a band playing inside the oriental gazebo as dozens of people listen on benches outside. The message on the side reads:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">The Parade is better than<br />this. I have a monthly ticket<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Fred.&nbsp;</i></span></div><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z46pPuT4xws/Xn4v_DuhETI/AAAAAAAAUao/HCxuLYbfpxAn5-x2RkZQXcmyNg0ZLi3awCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Brindlington%2BNew%2BSpa%2B1%2BA%2B1904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="1590" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z46pPuT4xws/Xn4v_DuhETI/AAAAAAAAUao/HCxuLYbfpxAn5-x2RkZQXcmyNg0ZLi3awCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Brindlington%2BNew%2BSpa%2B1%2BA%2B1904.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><br />The writer may be referring to the other end of Bridlington's seafront, where the municipal council managed more amusements and hired a second band&nbsp; to entertain the public in competition with the New Spa.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5NHts2GiVlw/Xn5kc_umcJI/AAAAAAAAUbQ/YM0JQBsxKvYTqIExFQacQ3V3-jGEQBhqACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Brindlington%2BParade%2B1%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="1591" height="404" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5NHts2GiVlw/Xn5kc_umcJI/AAAAAAAAUbQ/YM0JQBsxKvYTqIExFQacQ3V3-jGEQBhqACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Brindlington%2BParade%2B1%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />When the Bridlington Spa opened on 27 July 1896 its first concerts were performed by&nbsp;Herr Meyer Lutz's Grand Band. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meyer_Lutz" target="_blank">Meyer Lutz</a> (1829–1903) was a Bavarian-born British composer, well known for his operettas and incidental stage music produced for London's theaters. Trained in Germany, Lutz was one of many German and Austrian musicians in the Victorian era who built a successful career after moving to Britain.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DDJQ-VqfiHE/XnwJsrhWnbI/AAAAAAAAUZQ/iCDE0H5N2UIw3WPgY0jcPTgrsJVzXY3LgCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoCSMLvEUbb_Zl1r3vanSbPRwQerXBrSwNehKI8HaN-TBbpRyT8pmsN4UFOByhNRcEQ_RLoIYW5CaQzMGmEMTaGSCvVPYfWlF3scUpyEUat9WReRuKYLq0--570MWZjPjKKvSV9oT0wc4ae-tnF4Vz47rxCPP9q1RkCS08kyUBfNMRHp10kK4u3zy9JnkkZB3fUDeg4ysvYzgkzRzVWApv7L0o4JWEu2-CtSLA0UO8eyNfX8qY3x4DwrqPXggYnQUxSA4FPUR_pp9m7wRpgfQLgHO8yowUwsBwgULX9-ItPsaVk-awuwn9KQ5O7C6fZ9MfHrMGVQZxYCsK3rSjZEZ-wrB_Cx-ws44RPJ1GUKCmv1HJbUSazM7ofueskZTLXeswwdumLC5Y1COAo94_Q6HKTMdE66TwZV09Rbu28-X4dJhjaDWIo1H4_Ll2M6UpR0wUrmkM0TQCTke0BzPgbJIc3sXBclRPng91vVW6Oj0EJBq7OjH9vTN5ZUJT6s123EcyuIbV-7OxZDeReyBeolZRMIWgky9qFKJZcovOVWR5HcFrC7qf3Gak1HaUy0oo-n7ur0X4jGGorIN2N3V_V1xPS48BB074txFDHOMNiZ8PMF/s1600/1897-06-09%2BLondon%2BMorning_Post%2B-%2BHerr%2BJulian%2BWilford%2BKandt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="717" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DDJQ-VqfiHE/XnwJsrhWnbI/AAAAAAAAUZQ/iCDE0H5N2UIw3WPgY0jcPTgrsJVzXY3LgCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoCSMLvEUbb_Zl1r3vanSbPRwQerXBrSwNehKI8HaN-TBbpRyT8pmsN4UFOByhNRcEQ_RLoIYW5CaQzMGmEMTaGSCvVPYfWlF3scUpyEUat9WReRuKYLq0--570MWZjPjKKvSV9oT0wc4ae-tnF4Vz47rxCPP9q1RkCS08kyUBfNMRHp10kK4u3zy9JnkkZB3fUDeg4ysvYzgkzRzVWApv7L0o4JWEu2-CtSLA0UO8eyNfX8qY3x4DwrqPXggYnQUxSA4FPUR_pp9m7wRpgfQLgHO8yowUwsBwgULX9-ItPsaVk-awuwn9KQ5O7C6fZ9MfHrMGVQZxYCsK3rSjZEZ-wrB_Cx-ws44RPJ1GUKCmv1HJbUSazM7ofueskZTLXeswwdumLC5Y1COAo94_Q6HKTMdE66TwZV09Rbu28-X4dJhjaDWIo1H4_Ll2M6UpR0wUrmkM0TQCTke0BzPgbJIc3sXBclRPng91vVW6Oj0EJBq7OjH9vTN5ZUJT6s123EcyuIbV-7OxZDeReyBeolZRMIWgky9qFKJZcovOVWR5HcFrC7qf3Gak1HaUy0oo-n7ur0X4jGGorIN2N3V_V1xPS48BB074txFDHOMNiZ8PMF/s400/1897-06-09%2BLondon%2BMorning_Post%2B-%2BHerr%2BJulian%2BWilford%2BKandt.JPG" width="353" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">London <i>Morning Post</i><br />9 June 1897</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Julian Wilford&nbsp;Kändt</b>, or Kandt, without the umlaut as it was usually spelled in English, was part of a later generation of Germanic musicians who emigrated to Britain, and his name first appeared in 1897 newspaper advertisements of musical ensembles for hire.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;times&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Julian Wilford Kandt's Celebrated Royal Salon Orchestra, under Royal Patronage, may now be engaged for Concerts, Parties, At Homes, &amp;c. No agents, –Adress Curzon House, 35, Albany street, Regent's Park. Cutting from "Society," November 14, 1896.—"This orchestra is unequalled."</span><br />In the other adverts next to his listing were: Lacon and Ollier's Blue Hungarian Band; Herr Iff's Orchestra; The Plantagenet Orchestra;&nbsp; Moritz Wurm's Original Viennese White Band; The Co-operative Orchestra; and Ashton's Blue Hungarian Band from Budapest. All available for balls, receptions, dances, garden parties, &amp;c. and most appearing in costumes.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To judge by the number of curled mustaches on his musicians, as well as his own carefully groomed 'stache, Herr Kändt's orchestra presented a very Germanic appearance on the concert stage. The reason for this was due to the enthusiasm in Britain for the waltz, or more particularly the Viennese waltzes of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Strauss_II" target="_blank">Johann Strauss the Younger</a> (1825–1899). Strauss was arguably the most influential composer of his time, crafting elegant tunes with infectious toe-tapping rhythms into brilliant waltzes and witty polkas that became enormously popular with audiences around the world.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I7Pi4Kwe44Q/XnuwuzU1pJI/AAAAAAAAUYQ/9HE7wzhIE7EV475qEwcpzS-fhKj3HnXUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Blue%2BAustrian%2BBand%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1031" data-original-width="1600" height="412" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I7Pi4Kwe44Q/XnuwuzU1pJI/AAAAAAAAUYQ/9HE7wzhIE7EV475qEwcpzS-fhKj3HnXUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Blue%2BAustrian%2BBand%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Like Johann Strauss, Herr&nbsp;Kändt was both a violinist and a composer, and more appropriately an Austrian too. After a couple of seasons his advertisements announced a new name for his band. <b>The Austrian Blue Band, </b><i>with most elaborate and artistic&nbsp;uniforms</i><b style="font-style: italic;">.</b>&nbsp;The term "band" and "orchestra" were often used interchangeably in this era and meant basically a small ensemble capable of playing arrangements of both orchestral music and band music. By 1900 many of these "Austrian" and "Hungarian" bands were represented by one large entertainment agency in London who probably used the colors–blue, red, white– to easily distinguish their groups.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w2KC_1tTGiY/XnwLXy1_aPI/AAAAAAAAUZU/0en0WVIafkENjORW1H4hp4d3p9-gVNCRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1899-11-21%2BLondon%2BMorning_Post%2B-%2BAustrian%2BBlue%2BBand.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="852" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w2KC_1tTGiY/XnwLXy1_aPI/AAAAAAAAUZU/0en0WVIafkENjORW1H4hp4d3p9-gVNCRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1899-11-21%2BLondon%2BMorning_Post%2B-%2BAustrian%2BBlue%2BBand.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">London <i>Morning Post</i><br />21 November 1899</td></tr></tbody></table><br />By the early 1900s, Kandt's Austrian Blue Band was regularly booked for the summer season at British seaside resorts like Scarborough, and Weston-super-Mare. In the winter season his salon orchestra moved indoors for more refined concerts. In 1903 on the occasion of King Edward and Queen Alexandra's 40th wedding anniversary, Herr&nbsp;Kändt's orchestra entertained over 400 guests at a dinner party held at Buckingham Palace. Performing for such a prestigious event was a priceless endorsement for any musician working in the high society circuits of Britain. Kändt shrewdly used it to his advantage, and was soon engaged by the Royal Yacht Squadron at the Isle of Wight to provide the musical entertainment during its summer yacht races. The patrons at the R.Y.S. clubhouse at Cowes represented the elite of Britain's wealthy upper class, and orchestras like Kändt's became a prize when they performed for balls, house parties, and charity benefits.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GLrZ1maGFYY/Xn4xJBm-MMI/AAAAAAAAUbA/cWwcAdS1l7EqYlVXpDyshFom8fB0PES9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Brindlington%2BNew%2BSpa%2B5%2BA%2B1909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="1593" height="396" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GLrZ1maGFYY/Xn4xJBm-MMI/AAAAAAAAUbA/cWwcAdS1l7EqYlVXpDyshFom8fB0PES9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Brindlington%2BNew%2BSpa%2B5%2BA%2B1909.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Bridlington's society was probably a few steps down from London, but after Herr Kändt's band played its first engagement at Bridlington, his band's music and Austrian style quickly attracted a devoted following. A photo postcard of the Prince's Parade in Bridlington shows a typical crowd on a summer day. Though many people did indulge in swimming along a stretch of Bridlington's sandy beach, in this more genteel and modest age, most people simply strolled along the parade or promenade.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0gjcjC08dnI/Xn4wpLzNNYI/AAAAAAAAUaw/8DGYknP1SYAgtTfpJUsq_oIt_oG6_bz0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Brindlington%2BNew%2BSpa%2B4%2BA%2B1907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="985" data-original-width="1569" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0gjcjC08dnI/Xn4wpLzNNYI/AAAAAAAAUaw/8DGYknP1SYAgtTfpJUsq_oIt_oG6_bz0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Brindlington%2BNew%2BSpa%2B4%2BA%2B1907.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><br />Kandt's band usually played at least two concerts, afternoon and early evening. Amplified by the bandstand's acoustics, the sound might have carried a fair distance down the promenade, but the concerts were designed to bring patrons into the Spa, which is what Julian Kändt's music was very good at doing. Reports of the competition between his band and the municipal band at the Prince's Parade always awarded&nbsp;Kändt with the most accolades. Part of this was due to Julian&nbsp;Kändt's beautiful violin playing.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RzlPBwR3His/XnuxTH-0OBI/AAAAAAAAUYY/KV7ebxqcTDA3d2HP5q_1QB90wCC5YhgnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Julian%2BKandt%2B2%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1020" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RzlPBwR3His/XnuxTH-0OBI/AAAAAAAAUYY/KV7ebxqcTDA3d2HP5q_1QB90wCC5YhgnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Julian%2BKandt%2B2%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="408" /></a></div><br /><br />In this souvenir photo postcard, Herr Julian&nbsp;Kändt stands with his violin at rest. He wears a kind of military uniform jacket with ornate toggle cording, doubtless colored in an Austrian blue hue. His Pince-nez glasses perfectly mirror his upturned mustache while he gazes calmly at some unseen vista. In the lower corner he has signed it.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Yours faithfully,<br />Julian&nbsp;Kändt&nbsp;</i></span>&nbsp;</div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">It was sent from Taunton on 3 December 1904 to Miss May Alder of Taunton.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">I hope you<br />have enjoyed<br />listening to my<br />Band.<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;J.K.</i></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gfQpFcYk9U8/XnuxY5YnD2I/AAAAAAAAUYc/dcB0C08FPVQ4myjXzurMvkA5hc9HpDcsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Julian%2BKandt%2B2%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1200" height="406" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gfQpFcYk9U8/XnuxY5YnD2I/AAAAAAAAUYc/dcB0C08FPVQ4myjXzurMvkA5hc9HpDcsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Julian%2BKandt%2B2%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The programs for&nbsp;Kändt's Austrian Blue Band included a wide variety of music. For balls or skating halls, the dance lineup usually had two dozen waltzes, mostly by Strauss, interspersed with an occasional two-step. A formal concert might include opera arias of Puccini, Bizet, and Verdi; overtures of Rossini, Weber, and of course Wagner;&nbsp; music by Liszt, Elgar, Berlioz, Sibelius, and other composers now forgotten; and for an exotic flavor,&nbsp;Kändt might play a Hungarian czardas on his violin. One reviewer in 1910 said, "(Kändt) produces a flawless, silver filigree of sound...his band has a ruling passion for the dynamics of their music. They are ever sudden, but never do they go off at an outrageous tangent. They achieve the proper'bouquet,' or flavour, that you associate with Viennese music by means of attack, quick expressions of feeling, and amiable lingering on sentiment and luscious passages."<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wQ9V3jHIKeo/Xn93rKLy2NI/AAAAAAAAUbY/LrNiobpRR5QMAGtgshWqQVWgycxZI6vDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1904-06-22%2BLincoln%2BNE%2BStar%2B-%2BJK%2Bragtime%2BQUOTES.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="346" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wQ9V3jHIKeo/Xn93rKLy2NI/AAAAAAAAUbY/LrNiobpRR5QMAGtgshWqQVWgycxZI6vDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1904-06-22%2BLincoln%2BNE%2BStar%2B-%2BJK%2Bragtime%2BQUOTES.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lincoln NE Star<br />22 June 1904</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Descriptions of Kändt's&nbsp;Austrian band style contrast sharply with the reviews of the many Italian bands that were then becoming a craze in the United States. The British public's taste for the exuberant Italian conductors like Oreste Vessella, in my story from August 2019,&nbsp;<a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2019/08/an-atlantic-city-love-story-part-2.html" target="_blank">An Atlantic City Love Story, part 2</a>, seemed less fervent and more attracted to the Viennese character.<br /><br />In 1904 Julian&nbsp;Kändt was interviewed for his opinion about the new dance fashion in London of two-steps, cake walks, and ragtime music introduced from America. The two-step, (not to be confused with the foxtrot which came later) placed dance partners side by side rather than facing each other. This had a benefit of fewer shin kicks and torn gowns. But Herr&nbsp;Kändt felt "rag time" was altogether detrimental to dancing.<br /><br />"It requires a very unmusical person to dance against the time," Herr&nbsp; Kändt said, "and yet I have seen couples dance a sort of two step to a Strauss waltz.<br /><br />"I have also seen dancers perform a cake walk under these conditions before a roomful of people. The steps of a cake walk are often unlike any known dance, and the effect is frequently ridiculous.<br /><br />"But there are many beautiful dancers still, and I find that the very best style is to be seen at hunt or county balls."<br /><br />The report was picked up by several newspapers in the U.S. and gives us a sense of Herr&nbsp;Kändt's personality as well as his position in London's entertainment hierarchy.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cd0ryxagVDw/Xnuxd192GYI/AAAAAAAAUYg/F37-ttUQnvEJDYnfBuol3ZqP7-rrtjFqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Herr%2BKandt%2527s%2BBand%2Btst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1600" height="408" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cd0ryxagVDw/Xnuxd192GYI/AAAAAAAAUYg/F37-ttUQnvEJDYnfBuol3ZqP7-rrtjFqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Herr%2BKandt%2527s%2BBand%2Btst.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The musicians of&nbsp;Kändt's orchestra, as seen in this next postcard of his band, were not all Austrian or German. Some were Italian or Hungarian, and several were likely English but nearly all sported a mustache with a Prussian curl. Talented instrumentalists often switched bands, perhaps for better pay, or for engagements closer to their home, so his roster of players, generally between 12 and 18 musicians, was changeable, but newspaper reports said some bandsmen had been in the band for 10 to 15 years.<br /><br />Rail travel in Britain was of course much easier for entertainers than in the United States, but music ensembles also crossed the channel for concert tours on the continent. However I've found no reports that Kändt ever did this with his group, working mainly in England, Wales, and Ireland. Probably this was because in Europe there was too much competition from similar German and Austrian groups.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0YglBdt2E0I/XnuxnxpWxuI/AAAAAAAAUYo/dtxOFBaX78MO1PkgwhnY4SAoqH6Y8xOLACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Julian%2BKandt%2B4%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="992" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0YglBdt2E0I/XnuxnxpWxuI/AAAAAAAAUYo/dtxOFBaX78MO1PkgwhnY4SAoqH6Y8xOLACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Julian%2BKandt%2B4%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><br /><br />This is another souvenir postcard of Herr Julian&nbsp;Kändt with his violin. He also signed this one in 1908. It is addressed to Mrs. Hall, R. Y. S. Castle, Cowes, I. o. Wight, who might have been the chairwoman of the entertainment committee of the Royal Yacht Squadron.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Kindest<br />remembrances<br />from, Julian<br />&amp; Cissy Kändt&nbsp;</i></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s1EI03JPu8k/Xnuxto_aWtI/AAAAAAAAUYs/CgijGI_mfLYCduW4t9rPxzF3SM4ovUZHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Julian%2BKandt%2B4%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1400" height="388" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s1EI03JPu8k/Xnuxto_aWtI/AAAAAAAAUYs/CgijGI_mfLYCduW4t9rPxzF3SM4ovUZHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Julian%2BKandt%2B4%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fE_xqkUQ-_g/Xnu00XjITeI/AAAAAAAAUY8/VV2MSjiyFyM0Bths7a5FTCC0czRw8RyXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1910-08-19%2BHull%2BDaily%2BMail%2B-%2BKandt%2BPHOTO.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="926" data-original-width="460" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fE_xqkUQ-_g/Xnu00XjITeI/AAAAAAAAUY8/VV2MSjiyFyM0Bths7a5FTCC0czRw8RyXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1910-08-19%2BHull%2BDaily%2BMail%2B-%2BKandt%2BPHOTO.JPG" width="317" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hull&nbsp;<i>Daily Mail</i><br />19 August 1910</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />In 1910 Julian W. Kändt, at the height of his popularity, was interviewed by a reporter with the Hull Daily Mail and the piece provided lots of information on his background. <br /><br />Kändt was born in 1874 in Linz, Austria on the upper Danube River. Though his father was not a musician, on Julian's fifth birthday he gave him a violin and it became his passion. After study in Leipzig and then Vienna, in 1893, at the age 19, he was invited by an English restaurateur to bring a small ensemble of eight Viennese musicians to London.<br /><div><br /></div><div>They played at a restaurant on King Street, St. James where Kändt had the good fortune to meet the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, (and also the commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron.) This good fortune opened new opportunities for Kändt to find work outside of London performing for the many people within the circle of the Prince of Wales.<br /><br />In 1910 Kändt was married with two children. He and his wife Cissy, who was born in London, lived at 16 Regent's Park Terrace, in a fashionable part of London not far from the train stations serving the north of England.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the summer of 1914<br />Herr Julian&nbsp;Kändt was 40 years old, <br />keen to finish his engagements at Bridlington<br />and return to Cowes for the R.Y.S. regatta.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The August event attracted hundreds of yachts,<br />under sail and steam, and in all sizes.<br />Even though Kaiser Wilhelm II <br />did not plan to attend Cowes on board his yacht,<br />he still managed to leave a big mark on the occasion.<br />Britain declared war with Germany&nbsp;on August 4, 1914 <br />just one day before the start of the Cowes regatta.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">There would be no music.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br />After the start of the war in August 1914, many holiday resorts like Bridlington tried to carry on as usual. Bands added more patriotic material and some entertainers joined in military recruitment drives. It was a chaotic time yet most people expected the war would end in a few months if not weeks. But it didn't work out that way.<br /><br />On December 16, 1914, the Imperial German Navy sent a fleet of 27 battle cruisers and destroyers to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Scarborough,_Hartlepool_and_Whitby" target="_blank">raid the English ports</a> of Scarborough, Hartlepool, West Hartlepool and Whitby along Britain's east coast. The German warships' bombardment resulted in 592 casualties, mostly of civilians, of whom 137 were killed. The attack inflamed the British public with anger towards the German Navy and brought widespread condemnation of the Royal Navy for its failure to prevent the raid.<br /><br />Just a month later on January 19, 1915 the Germans introduced the world to strategic aerial bombing with a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_strategic_bombing_during_World_War_I#1915" target="_blank">raid of two Zeppelin airships</a> that dropped bombs on Great Yarmouth, Sheringham, King's Lynn and surrounding villages. Casualties were thankfully very light, only sixteen people were injured and four killed, but the terror generated by the raid was immeasurable. More attacks were attempted in February and March but bad weather kept the Zeppelin&nbsp;air fleet from crossing the English Channel.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">For an Austrian musician with an umlaut in his name,</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">it was not a favorable time.</span></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gZj7VcOnjBg/Xnzdi0aqFdI/AAAAAAAAUZg/krq78xWzqMM9oOeG4EDwF-zPX1V4tR2VACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1915-02-18%2BHull%2BDaily%2BMail%2B-%2BProposal%2Bto%2Bcancel%2BKandt%2527s%2Bcontract.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="776" height="348" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gZj7VcOnjBg/Xnzdi0aqFdI/AAAAAAAAUZg/krq78xWzqMM9oOeG4EDwF-zPX1V4tR2VACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1915-02-18%2BHull%2BDaily%2BMail%2B-%2BProposal%2Bto%2Bcancel%2BKandt%2527s%2Bcontract.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hull&nbsp;<i>Daily Mail</i><br />18 February 1915</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In February 1915, the development committee of the Bridlington town council decided it should reconsider the contract it had with Herr&nbsp;Kändt. In an effort to appease the public, they recommended buying out&nbsp;Kändt's 1915 season contract for £300, with an option to cancel his booking for 1916 and 1917 for an additional £200. A "Councillor Davis, in moving the resolution, said he had the greatest admiration for Mr. Kandt as a musical director and a musician, and also as a gentleman. They had, however, to face the fact of the war, in consequence of which there was a strong feeling that he would not be so generously supported as hitherto."&nbsp; If the resolution carried and&nbsp;Kändt accepted, the committee would seek to engage a good "all-British" band with as many members as Mr. Kandt's, and to pay the conductor&nbsp;£640 for the season. Herr&nbsp;Kändt was paid&nbsp;£1,050.<br /><br />The report on the committee debate said Kändt&nbsp;had strenuously objected, claiming that though some people "regarded him as Austrian, it was a fact that he was not an Austrian, but of Russian birth; that his father was a naturalised British subject, and that Mr. Julian Kandt was born in England." (a mistaken report) He "could not understand why he should not command the same support as in the past."<br /><br />The resolution was moved to be referred back to the full Council. One alderman said he "did not believe there was any strong feeling against Mr. Kandt." Another said he "had been told by a prominent tradesman that unless Mr. Kandt came the Spa would go down." Ten days later the Bridlington Town Council rejected the recommendation of its committee. Herr&nbsp;Kändt's band would fulfill its contract for the 1915 season at the Bridlington Spa.<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nLKNaFHSw4Q/XnzfDWW3jiI/AAAAAAAAUZo/tOLB9hVxI4EE08OOPySESCJwLx96Og1pgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1915-03-05%2BCardiff%2BWestern%2BMail%2B-%2BJK%2Badvert.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="454" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nLKNaFHSw4Q/XnzfDWW3jiI/AAAAAAAAUZo/tOLB9hVxI4EE08OOPySESCJwLx96Og1pgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1915-03-05%2BCardiff%2BWestern%2BMail%2B-%2BJK%2Badvert.JPG" width="372" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cardiff <i>Western Mail</i><br />5 March 1915</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />Despite the council's vote of approbation, Kandt must have felt threatened by the growing anti-German sentiment in Britain as three weeks later an advertisement tinted with his indignation ran in the Cardiff Western Mail. It was for a two week booking at the Park-Hall in Cardiff.<br /><br /><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Kandt's Band under the personal direction of Julian Kandt, will present a series of patriotic and popular concerts.&nbsp;</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Special note. I Julian Kandt, take this opportunity of assuring my many Friends and Patrons that I am ABSOLUTELY BRITISH, being the Son of a Naturalised British Subject of many years standing, and of Russian origin, and my Band is composed of Fifteen&nbsp;British and Three Russian Musicians.</span></i><br /><br />His soloists were Senhor Jose de Moraes, the famous Portuguese Tenor, and Miss Rosina Buckman, the famous New Zealand Soprano. After the grand opening concert on Sunday, there would be concerts every evening at Eight p.m. with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at Three p.m. Balcony seats, 1s,; Floor, 6d.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zeNkNReSRFM/Xn4wx6C42eI/AAAAAAAAUa0/edcdxVpNfnkIlcSpAPGmXtGqrSXVj7_3QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Brindlington%2BNew%2BSpa%2B6%2BA%2B1909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="997" data-original-width="1593" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zeNkNReSRFM/Xn4wx6C42eI/AAAAAAAAUa0/edcdxVpNfnkIlcSpAPGmXtGqrSXVj7_3QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Brindlington%2BNew%2BSpa%2B6%2BA%2B1909.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><br />That summer in 1915, Julian Kandt dropped the umlaut and renamed his group "Kandt's Famous Band". In September the Yorkshire Weekly Post published a reviewer's impression of the seaside resort in wartime. The writer added some light humor, recounting how he tried questioning an old fisherman about the minesweepers in the harbor while being careful not to be mistaken for a German spy.<br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c63Fhm35RLI/Xn43DvL_z_I/AAAAAAAAUbI/piHtiTwgYzc0nJ5WNsD3mpQkEIEPZrj6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1915-09-11%2BYorkshire%2BWeekly%2BPost%2B-%2BJK%2BPIC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="288" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c63Fhm35RLI/Xn43DvL_z_I/AAAAAAAAUbI/piHtiTwgYzc0nJ5WNsD3mpQkEIEPZrj6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1915-09-11%2BYorkshire%2BWeekly%2BPost%2B-%2BJK%2BPIC.JPG" width="277" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yorkshire <i>Weekly Post</i><br />11 September 1915</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">The "Princess Parade" shows no signs of having suffered from the effects of the war. The flower beds are as bloomingly gay as ever. The floral clock seems as floral as before, and the hall has its baskets as beautiful as at any other time. Both the bands here and on the New Spa are conducted as usual by Signor Scoma and Mr Julian Kandt respectively. Hitherto I have been unfortunate enough to be at Bridlington during Cowes week, and Mr Kandt was always at that place. This year I was more fortunate. There is no doubt about the personality of this conductor. He has the quiet style that tells. Sometimes he becomes so quiet as to cease conducting altogether for a time - this to show that the band can free-wheel downhill, so to speak, once it has got going properly. You should just hear "Rags" done by Mr Kandt. They don't merely flutter in the breeze, as under some conductors; they simply dance and wave and tear themselves to tatters. It is enough to make the most staid old party jump up and begin to stump around. Our strictly British upbringing makes us content ourselves with a mere shuffling of the feet under the chair.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ETamU7SONXY/XnzfdDidcQI/AAAAAAAAUZw/jGGECX0Es-ofU_j-IIqYsnhmr4i5Fd_vQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1915-11-10%2BCardiff%2BWestern%2BMail%2B-%2BJK%2BBand%2Badvert.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ETamU7SONXY/XnzfdDidcQI/AAAAAAAAUZw/jGGECX0Es-ofU_j-IIqYsnhmr4i5Fd_vQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1915-11-10%2BCardiff%2BWestern%2BMail%2B-%2BJK%2BBand%2Badvert.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cardiff <i>Western Mail</i><br />10 November 1915</td></tr></tbody></table><br />By November 1915, Kandt was back in Cardiff. now advertising his show with more desperation than indignation.<br /><br /><br />This time it was Julian Kandt and his Famous (All-British) Band for two shows at 3 and 8. His soloists were Signor Lenghi Cellini and Miss May Huxley. The ad continued with:<br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Julian Kandt will give a Percentage of his Entire Receipts towards War Charities. <br /><br /> Julian Kandt invites wounded soldiers to any of his concerts, free of charge.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Kandt's Band.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">£500 REWARD</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Owing to rumours circulated in Cardiff respecting my nationality,<br />I, Julian Kandt, again emphatically state that I am a British subject of many years standing, and of Russian origin.<br /><br />Furthermore, every member of mu band is British born.<br /><br /> I will pay the sum of £500 to anyone who can prove the above statements to be untrue.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The following week a notice in the Cardiff newspaper was placed that Mr. Julian Kandt had agreed to cancel his band concert so that the Glamorgan Yeomanry Male Voice Choir could give their farewell concert before they left for the front. Surrounding the notice on the page were long columns of names—soldiers and sailors on the official list of casualties and deaths.<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-esunQkr6KaE/Xnzf2iXUWYI/AAAAAAAAUZ4/vcrxvHbZ5aQ2QXtmTUDeCZANoFEMNL14QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1915-11-15%2BCardiff%2BWestern%2BMail%2B-%2BJKandt%2Bcancels%2Bconcert.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1273" data-original-width="877" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-esunQkr6KaE/Xnzf2iXUWYI/AAAAAAAAUZ4/vcrxvHbZ5aQ2QXtmTUDeCZANoFEMNL14QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1915-11-15%2BCardiff%2BWestern%2BMail%2B-%2BJKandt%2Bcancels%2Bconcert.JPG" width="440" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cardiff <i>Western Mail</i><br />15 November 1915</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Kandt's orchestra&nbsp; returned to Bridlington in the late summer of 1916. Advertisements appeared under the heading '<u>Health Resorts</u>'. <i>"For a restful, delightful holiday, Bridlington, Bright, Breezy, Bracing."</i>&nbsp; Signor Scoma's orchestra played three concerts daily at the north end, and Julian Kandt's orchestra twice daily at the south end Spa. There were "<i>plays and entertainment in the Opera House, Golf, Boating, Fishing, Open-air Promenade Concerts, First-class Vocalists.&nbsp; Such Quantities of Sand."</i><br /><i></i><br /><i></i><br /><i><br /></i>But his bookings were not the same as two years before. There was no regatta at Cowes. No grand house parties or charity balls. The war time rationing and regulations altered so much of British society and civic life, that entertainment took on a different meaning and purpose. <br /><i></i><br /><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D_Aq68m8t6g/XnzgNxhqXiI/AAAAAAAAUaA/8SQXj41tSI4l4OPTJpWxMpY1gp-LFz2AQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1917-06-27%2BHull%2BDaily%2BMail%2B-%2BJulian%2BKandt%2Billness.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="821" height="337" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D_Aq68m8t6g/XnzgNxhqXiI/AAAAAAAAUaA/8SQXj41tSI4l4OPTJpWxMpY1gp-LFz2AQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1917-06-27%2BHull%2BDaily%2BMail%2B-%2BJulian%2BKandt%2Billness.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hull&nbsp;<i>Daily Mail</i><br />27 June 1917</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br />In June 1917 the Hull Daily Mail announced that Mr. Julian Kandt would be unable to come to to Bridlington this season owing to illness. He had struggled through the past season's engagements under very painful conditions, but was now unable to resume his work. The Development Committee proposed to engage a band of 16 and conductor at a cost of 100 guineas per week.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Three weeks later on 17 July 1917, King George V <br />issued a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Windsor" target="_blank">royal proclamation</a>&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: large;">that henceforth <br />he and his family would no longer be members</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">of the German ducal House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">but would instead become known as </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">the House and Family of Windsor.&nbsp;</span></div><br /><br /><br />When the war ended in November 1918, Britain returned to normal, but many activities and entertainments would never be the same again. The summer holiday season returned to Bridlington, this time with an "all-British" band. Waltzes fell out of favor and another American import—jazz music— took over the younger folk's need for rhythm. Newspaper classified sections no longer advertised Austrian bands of any color. It would be some time before German/Austrian musicians would be received in Britain with the same appreciation they had enjoyed before the war.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u0OixjdE7LU/Xnzhm6Aa9FI/AAAAAAAAUaI/G9mEDgtF2yYPcIDZpjYiohElh0xQhCUlgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1919-06-13%2BHull%2BDaily%2BMail%2B-%2BKandt%2Bdeath.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="686" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u0OixjdE7LU/Xnzhm6Aa9FI/AAAAAAAAUaI/G9mEDgtF2yYPcIDZpjYiohElh0xQhCUlgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1919-06-13%2BHull%2BDaily%2BMail%2B-%2BKandt%2Bdeath.JPG" width="314" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hull&nbsp;<i>Daily Mail</i><br />13 June 1919</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">On 13 June 1919, the Hull <i>Daily Mail</i> ran a three sentence report in its music column.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">The news of the death of Julian Kandt, at one time the musical conductor of the Parade orchestra at Bridlington, has been received. An Austrian by birth, and educated in Germany, he was a popular figure in his profession if somewhat of a showman. He was 44 years of age and suffered a long and serious illness. </span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I've been unable to find <br />any other death notice or obituary <br />for Julian Wilford Kändt.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace; font-size: large;">* * *</span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IbJlb9AWBOc/XnumRMSfbAI/AAAAAAAAUXw/Nu5T3dE4HAYWcFxleD6PeYauYdMu3FU5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Julian%2BKandt%2B3%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="922" data-original-width="1014" height="579" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IbJlb9AWBOc/XnumRMSfbAI/AAAAAAAAUXw/Nu5T3dE4HAYWcFxleD6PeYauYdMu3FU5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Julian%2BKandt%2B3%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">When I first began collecting vintage photos of musicians, I never expected to learn much about their backgrounds. The postcards of Herr Kändt and his Austrian Blue Band seemed a novelty of British culture, a faded oddity of another time. But as I began to put Julian&nbsp;Kändt into context of his time I was startled by his success and celebrity. It was amazing how he resembled André Rieu, the Dutch violinist, who today performs the same kind of romantic music to audiences around the world. Yet another example of the lasting influence of Johann Strauss.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">But as my research uncovered Kändt's struggle to remain a performer during the Great War while fighting a giant wave of anti-German prejudices that was affecting the British public, his story took on a desperate and ultimately tragic tone. As all I know comes from brief newspaper adverts and reports, we can only read between the lines and guess at the personal pain endured by Julian and his family, not to mention his bandsmen too. The rules of civil societies were very different in 1914-18 than today. Bigotry, racism, and hatred were often expressed openly and rarely hidden. Kändt's claim that he was "Russian" could suggest he was Jewish. Though I have no evidence he was, that would certainly add another dimension to his story.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Many entertainers, musicians, orchestras, and bands in the 21st century world of show business frequently cross over the dividing lines of national origin and ethnicity. Music seems international, free of intolerance. But in 1914 Julian Kändt probably thought the same of his musical world. He was obviously proud of his Austrian heritage and musical training in Germany. But clearly </span><span style="font-size: large;">he thought himself an emigrant too and </span><span style="font-size: large;">a loyal British citizen. Hateful prejudices will always exist, even in music and art.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Shortly after he mildly criticized the influence of American ragtime music, Julian Kändt followed his audience's taste in music and sometimes included a ragtime number on his programs. What the musicians of his Austrian Blue Band thought of this is unknown, but I bet they could put a Viennese swing onto any syncopated rhythm.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b><br /></b><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/03/sepia-saturday-513-28-march-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a></b><br /><b>where anyone on a seaside holiday</b><br /><b>should&nbsp; &nbsp; at&nbsp; &nbsp; all&nbsp; &nbsp; times&nbsp; &nbsp; remain&nbsp; &nbsp; at&nbsp; &nbsp; least&nbsp; &nbsp; 6&nbsp; &nbsp; feet&nbsp; &nbsp; apart.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/03/sepia-saturday-513-28-march-2020.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/03/sepia-saturday-513-28-march-2020.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ax-pPkiQcS4/XnvHQ0xTXiI/AAAAAAAB--M/zvnL0dmahiEbouJ-9gaijqY7JkvVJ8ykwCKgBGAsYHg/s400/2002024z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-17982182516187782762020-03-20T23:31:00.000-04:002020-03-20T23:31:34.165-04:00Three of a Kind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8YuuJblxecE/XnPRJPUmZdI/AAAAAAAAUVw/VXtVKfO8BKUw8ZIgodf5K1FmEptvjO7eQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Ladies%2BBrass%2BTrio%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="1100" height="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8YuuJblxecE/XnPRJPUmZdI/AAAAAAAAUVw/VXtVKfO8BKUw8ZIgodf5K1FmEptvjO7eQCEwYBhgL/s640/Ladies%2BBrass%2BTrio%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It used to be a requirement <br />for every theater, opera, and concert hall.<br />Just before the performance began,<br />the house lights would dim,<br />and slowly the proscenium curtain <br />would rise.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8YN9AucTgBs/XnPR29jH6zI/AAAAAAAAUWM/lvR-gbNvQl04a4yyM7BnzATQe5ZUFdYhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Dann%2BTrio%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="1100" height="566" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8YN9AucTgBs/XnPR29jH6zI/AAAAAAAAUWM/lvR-gbNvQl04a4yyM7BnzATQe5ZUFdYhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Dann%2BTrio%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">On some stages<br />the velvet drapery parted rather than a lifted,<br />but the effect was the same.<br />What was hidden was now revealed.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UASLIqA4IKM/XnPRamM2ynI/AAAAAAAAUV4/I1aKv5LBrv0CsG2n_qfNoQdWRgZE93SsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Scottish%2BTrio%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1100" height="524" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UASLIqA4IKM/XnPRamM2ynI/AAAAAAAAUV4/I1aKv5LBrv0CsG2n_qfNoQdWRgZE93SsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Scottish%2BTrio%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A great program always had <br />a strong curtain raiser.<br />And likewise no show was ever finished<br />until the final curtain came down.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">What happens to the curtain call<br />when there is no curtain?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Ma3A_e4bzM/XnPRkJVOoWI/AAAAAAAAUV8/ulyxN24K3TI0J2BUJp_HCkJ7iOo13vKyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Ladies%2BBrass%2BTrio%2Btst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1270" data-original-width="1600" height="508" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Ma3A_e4bzM/XnPRkJVOoWI/AAAAAAAAUV8/ulyxN24K3TI0J2BUJp_HCkJ7iOo13vKyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Ladies%2BBrass%2BTrio%2Btst.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />My first image was clipped from a photograph of three women with brass instruments, two cornets and an alto horn. They are outside a house apparently floating above the garden lawn, as their long dresses hide their shoes. There are no clues to where, but I believe they are somewhere in North America. The chain link fence on the left was not manufactured in the United States until 1898. So my guess is that this photo dates from 1900-1910.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Bonus points if you spotted the little person in the photo.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F7-UCWW0FCQ/XnPRum-EUKI/AAAAAAAAUWE/ctpmpZ3xqykG7I-xPwwFBFEmK6k7qhd4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Scottish%2BTrio%2Btst.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1144" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F7-UCWW0FCQ/XnPRum-EUKI/AAAAAAAAUWE/ctpmpZ3xqykG7I-xPwwFBFEmK6k7qhd4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Scottish%2BTrio%2Btst.jpg" width="456" /></a></div><br /><br />Skipping to the third trio of calves and knees, they belong to a musical trio of young lasses dressed in Scottish tartans, kilts, and caps. Two musicians hold traditional Scottish instruments, the oboe and the tenor saxophone, essentially bagpipes without bags. The third woman has no instrument but presumably is in the photo because she's in the band. So she might be the bass drummer or the conductor. My guess is principal accordionist.<br /><br />This is an unmarked photo postcard so the three women could be from Melbourne or Glasgow for all we know, but my bet is they are members of some Presbyterian college band in the United States, circa 1920-30.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vxaLzpFXpDU/XnPR9YjGBKI/AAAAAAAAUWQ/_pSh5Tx_xWUozbqdBH0o7wEQD1vAm6lVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Dann%2BTrio%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1240" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vxaLzpFXpDU/XnPR9YjGBKI/AAAAAAAAUWQ/_pSh5Tx_xWUozbqdBH0o7wEQD1vAm6lVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Dann%2BTrio%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="496" /></a></div><br />With a hop back to the second image, those neatly turned ankles came from a large 8" x 10" promotional photo of three female entertainers wearing fine evening dresses from the 1920s. On left and right are a violinist and a cornet player. In the center a third woman is without an instrument but that is because she is a pianist. The reason I know this is due to a helpful note signed on the lower right.&nbsp;<br /><b><br /></b><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><b>Kindest Regards<br />The Dann Trio</b></span></i></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jpeIw2jKr9o/XnPSCGulb1I/AAAAAAAAUWU/Bq5UG6IlP1cxUOCYrEctV7-4LjX3TEmTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Dann%2BTrio%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="911" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jpeIw2jKr9o/XnPSCGulb1I/AAAAAAAAUWU/Bq5UG6IlP1cxUOCYrEctV7-4LjX3TEmTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Dann%2BTrio%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="492" /></a></div><br /><br />The Dann Trio was a musical troupe of three women from Worcester, Massachusetts who played violin, cornet and piano. From 1919 to 1923 they toured the country accompanying a noted tenor, Harvey Hindermyer, in concerts that promoted Edison Records, the first successful manufacturer of phonograph machines, cylinders, and disc records. The Dann Trio's recitals were sponsored by local music stores that sold the Edison Record's disc library. Often the tickets were free but required picking them up at the sponsor's store which gave the retailer an opportunity to demonstrate the latest in home entertainment technology.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gz726qNo7t4/XnQPPQwfjnI/AAAAAAAAUWo/a3F66gNYubICHe3oYakUMhSp41XarZl8gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1922-11-30%2BVisalia%2BCA%2BTimes_Delta%2B-%2BDann%2Btrio.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="542" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gz726qNo7t4/XnQPPQwfjnI/AAAAAAAAUWo/a3F66gNYubICHe3oYakUMhSp41XarZl8gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1922-11-30%2BVisalia%2BCA%2BTimes_Delta%2B-%2BDann%2Btrio.JPG" width="377" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visalia CA <i>Times-Delta</i><br />30 November 1922</td></tr></tbody></table>Their performance used a phonograph player, somehow concealed on stage, that would play the same music that the group was playing. As Harvey Hindermyer sang he would trick the audience by closing his mouth and yet somehow his voice from the record would continue. The Dann Trio also used the same effect to demonstrate with their records that there was no difference between the living artist's sound and Mr. Edison's wondrous invention.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eg52S7ZinTc/XnUxsqCBFkI/AAAAAAAAUW4/QLyuqc1eNKIVigpcP5tnhNqkaWKSANiVQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/EdisonRecordSleeveLivingArtist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="327" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eg52S7ZinTc/XnUxsqCBFkI/AAAAAAAAUW4/QLyuqc1eNKIVigpcP5tnhNqkaWKSANiVQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/EdisonRecordSleeveLivingArtist.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edison Record Logo circa 1910<br />Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Records" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Thomas A. Edison invented his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Records" target="_blank">phonograph machine</a> in 1877, but set it aside to devote all his time to&nbsp; perfecting his electric light bulb. It wasn't until 1887 that he returned to it seriously and brought out in 1889 an improved device that used <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonograph_cylinder" target="_blank">wax cylinders</a> to capture sound. But the wax cylinders were fragile and difficult to duplicate. The first mass produced cylinders were made from a more sturdy&nbsp; plastic type material and first marketed in 1902. Facing competition, in 1908 the Edison Company came out with its improved version called Blue Amberol that could play 4 rather than 2 minutes of music. But by 1912 the cylinder record's deficiencies were no match for more popular disc records from Edison's competitors. So once again the Edison Labs came out with yet another system, the Diamond Disc.<br /><br />Unlike the more conventional method of a side-to-side lateral needle that recorded sound waves onto a disc, Edison's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Disc_Record" target="_blank">Diamond Disc</a> records used an up-and-down vertical needle to make the disc's spiral groove. This improved the sound fidelity but it also meant that Edison records could only be played on an Edison phonograph machine. The placement of the needle and the speed of the turntable were different and neither disc system could be played on its competitor's devices.<br /><br />In the 1920s, Edison Records needed a way to convince the public that their machine and records were better than anyone else's, so they used Harvey Hindermyer and the Dann Trio to market the life-like quality of recorded music. Hindermyer, born in 1878, was already a well-known vocalist in part because he had recorded some early cylinders for the Edison company. <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bX9F2a91gws/XnQPg6Pu8dI/AAAAAAAAUWw/Zu28wDeYA1wxJOSpy6d0gcOSE5Wpp0y7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1921-01-01%2BMusical%2BAmerica%2B-%2BDann%2BTrio%2Bphonograph%2Brecital.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="484" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bX9F2a91gws/XnQPg6Pu8dI/AAAAAAAAUWw/Zu28wDeYA1wxJOSpy6d0gcOSE5Wpp0y7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1921-01-01%2BMusical%2BAmerica%2B-%2BDann%2BTrio%2Bphonograph%2Brecital.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Musical America<br />01 January 1921</td></tr></tbody></table>In a 1921 report on one of their recitals, the Dann Trio were identified as Rosalynd Dann, violin; Felice Dann, cornet; and Blanche Dann, piano. This is 1/3 incorrect. The cornetist and pianist were sisters, but the violinist's name was Rosalynd J. Davis.&nbsp; I found them pictured in a 1977 newsletter magazine for record collectors with the same photo but this time autographed by the three musicians.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h9G1mZXL_Vo/XnV5w4CQVHI/AAAAAAAAUXI/qWXHT4oLA54LvdDov_qvqs-Pu-fmkNHeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1977-06%2BRecord%2BResearch%2B146_147%2Bp%2B0.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="634" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h9G1mZXL_Vo/XnV5w4CQVHI/AAAAAAAAUXI/qWXHT4oLA54LvdDov_qvqs-Pu-fmkNHeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1977-06%2BRecord%2BResearch%2B146_147%2Bp%2B0.JPG" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June 1977 Record Research magazine, Brooklyn, NY<br />Source: <a href="https://archive.org/details/RecordResearch146_7/mode/1up" target="_blank">Archive.org</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Blanche Dann and Maybelle Felice Dann were born in Worcester, in 1892 and 1901 respectively, and had another sister name Hazel G. Dann born in 1895. All three became professional musicians as listed in the Worcester city directory, though I don't know what instrument Hazel played. In the 1920 census, Blanche and Felice were still single, living at home with their widowed mother. They listed their occupations as <i>Professional Pianist, Hotel </i>and <i>Professional Cornetist, Hotel</i>, so their principal gig was likely a kind of salon trio.&nbsp; <br /><br />The trio's violinist was Roaslynd J. Davis, born in 1900 in Massachusetts. She was a high school classmate of Felice, and I suspect she was a replacement for the Dann Trio's missing sister, Hazel. She also made solo records for the Edison company, all quasi-romantic instrumental music played with a light sentimental rubato. An Edison True-Tone single with sides A and B&nbsp; cost $1.85 in 1921.<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IymK4kwAb1U/XnV5O8CSUVI/AAAAAAAAUXA/oZeX-3WTQeYwTKlWPZIXi2pOc-4ONcldQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Edison%2BTone-Test%2BRe-Creation%2BRecords.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="934" height="392" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IymK4kwAb1U/XnV5O8CSUVI/AAAAAAAAUXA/oZeX-3WTQeYwTKlWPZIXi2pOc-4ONcldQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Edison%2BTone-Test%2BRe-Creation%2BRecords.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Advertisement for Edison Records </td></tr></tbody></table>The Dann Trio worked for about three years doing tours for the Edison Record company. But sadly despite having invented the first recording machines, Edison's stubbornness in business put him behind the new trends in sound recording made in the 1920s. Long after other companies had changed to electrical recording, Edison didn't convert until 1927. But the worst decision Edison made with the Diamond Disc was developing a media system with a serious limitation of being incompatible with machines made by other manufacturers. When they finally admitted to the error it was too late. The Edison Record company shut down in October 1929, shortly before the great financial crash. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks to the wonders of the 21st century,<br />we can listen to music performed 100 years ago,<br />and pretend the artists are playing<br />right in our own living room.<br />Here is "Extase Rêverie" <br />by Louis Ganne, for Violin, Cornet &amp; Piano</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">performed by The Dann Trio <br />on Edison record # 80525</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wC_gZT7ZtvA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wC_gZT7ZtvA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/03/sepia-saturday-512-saturday-21-march.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a><br />where someone is always recycling old photos.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/03/sepia-saturday-512-saturday-21-march.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/03/sepia-saturday-512-saturday-21-march.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d8pm7i2Bsa0/XnNWNNyXkNI/AAAAAAAB-wY/mT5XY3JqRX83zxwg0KtPqdbzKbZmb67ngCKgBGAsYHg/s400/2002023z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-5707840411715695672020-03-14T18:30:00.002-04:002020-03-14T18:30:43.375-04:00On Tour with the Metropolitan Ladies Orchestra - part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uCipPsMwF7U/XmElbTNYdMI/AAAAAAAAUP0/DDFvf9Pz7oULzGC43dcjwjsciDlgum6IACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B08%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="1200" height="558" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uCipPsMwF7U/XmElbTNYdMI/AAAAAAAAUP0/DDFvf9Pz7oULzGC43dcjwjsciDlgum6IACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B08%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Every adventure tale <br />always includes a description <br />of the delectable food,</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wcpu9kFdtc0/XmEltenFmtI/AAAAAAAAUP4/nav8pGiDJvAZHjqgWED51gfmNjCfMUb8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B10%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="977" data-original-width="1217" height="512" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wcpu9kFdtc0/XmEltenFmtI/AAAAAAAAUP4/nav8pGiDJvAZHjqgWED51gfmNjCfMUb8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B10%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">or the hospitable accommodations.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jKDKvjNt8pI/XmElyVWQnLI/AAAAAAAAUQA/b2M8jlxxpCkKYMvJ3OpAK1Ng2YXC69h9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B11%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="1300" height="604" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jKDKvjNt8pI/XmElyVWQnLI/AAAAAAAAUQA/b2M8jlxxpCkKYMvJ3OpAK1Ng2YXC69h9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B11%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yet years later the memory <br />of some refreshing journey<br />on that adventure,</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IjCOuUVaoHI/XmEl7ebcYRI/AAAAAAAAUQE/agBaUIv8D4Am_tx26itZh5g7GRhHvOhjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B12%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1095" data-original-width="1200" height="584" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IjCOuUVaoHI/XmEl7ebcYRI/AAAAAAAAUQE/agBaUIv8D4Am_tx26itZh5g7GRhHvOhjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B12%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">or a day of unexpected balmy weather,<br />seems as brisk and exciting<br />as if it all happened yesterday.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oCPX6muCeZU/Xmes8acQnaI/AAAAAAAAUTg/2YNhGG0XK6cdfKtRD1DrEsIJrRJuf1SJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B13%2Btst%2BEE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oCPX6muCeZU/Xmes8acQnaI/AAAAAAAAUTg/2YNhGG0XK6cdfKtRD1DrEsIJrRJuf1SJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B13%2Btst%2BEE.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">And for musicians<br />the whole experience <br />is always recalled <br />with an echo of music.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is part 2 of my story <br />about the Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra.<br />Click this link <br />for <b><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2020/03/on-tour-with-metropolitan-ladies.html" target="_blank">part 1</a></b></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It is now late fall going into winter.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The seven musicians </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">of the Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra<br />are finished with Chautauqua shows</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">but are still on the road <br />fulfilling concert engagements.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KO0xwNQlrI/XmEmB_3eJeI/AAAAAAAAUQM/b6ciRba_3z4QjIrv8R8NpTHEu9rqVlePwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B08%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="1600" height="412" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KO0xwNQlrI/XmEmB_3eJeI/AAAAAAAAUQM/b6ciRba_3z4QjIrv8R8NpTHEu9rqVlePwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B08%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Six women have spot of tea and sandwiches at a train station using their steamer trunks as improvised table. One trunk has a stenciled <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">MLO</span></span> on the end. Along the bottom of the postcard is a caption:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">The feeding of the animals.</span></span></i></div><br />Of the 15 postcard-sized photos in this collection that I acquired, this photo and one more were the only two that went through the mail. On the back of this photo are the clues that answered two important questions. Who took the photographs? And who wrote the annotations on the other photos.<br /><br />The postcard was sent from Buchanon, Michigan on Dec 26, 1912 addressed to <b>Miss Nellie Woolman</b>, 628 E. La Salle, So. Bend, Ind.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--5m6OcPnXus/XmEmHs4a0zI/AAAAAAAAUQU/db9OujAO8GYR2UGB5PeMtDcNretJk-_fwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B08%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1051" data-original-width="1600" height="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--5m6OcPnXus/XmEmHs4a0zI/AAAAAAAAUQU/db9OujAO8GYR2UGB5PeMtDcNretJk-_fwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B08%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br />Miss Woolman<br />Thanks very much<br />for the present from <br />you girls. How did <br />you guess what<br />I needed.<br /><br />We leave via the<br /><u>Chicago &amp; Alton.&nbsp; Mon.<br />Dec 30 at 3-00 P.M.<br />from the Union Station<br />Canal &amp; Adams Sts.<br />So Long,<br />J. A. Conrad</u><br /><br />Will be at Hotel __klow<br />in Chi Sun. eve.</span></span></i></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;"><br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br />The directions point to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alton_Railroad" target="_blank">Chicago &amp; Alton Railroad</a>, a train service going southwest from Chicago to St. Louis and Kansas City. The obscured hotel name was the Hotel Wicklow, 666 No. State St, about 25 minutes north of Union Station by streetcar.&nbsp; <br /><br />The writer was <b>J. Albert Conrad</b>, manager and cornet soloists of the Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra. He answered my first question, as it was his camera that took the snapshots of the group and here he is using one amusing view of his six comrades to send a notice out about the group's next travel arrangements. We can only guess what thoughtful gift the girls gave him.<br /><br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-53k3HGLw8IE/XmkAOemsPeI/AAAAAAAAUTo/MlsBs0gNcNkmTV9XKXClj81PNYACgrZ9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2BPage_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1085" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-53k3HGLw8IE/XmkAOemsPeI/AAAAAAAAUTo/MlsBs0gNcNkmTV9XKXClj81PNYACgrZ9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2BPage_4.jpg" width="432" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra brochure<br />Source: <a href="https://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/islandora/object/ui%3Atc_53449" target="_blank">University of Iowa Libraries</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Born in Michigan in 1888, J. Albert Conrad was 24 years old, and unmarried when in 1912 he acted as the manager, cornet player, and male chaperone to his six female colleagues. Conrad's photo is in the Metropolitans brochure as he led the group from its beginning in the 1911 summer season. The bio lacks any personal details, noting only that he had played solos with "leading Chicago bands and in prominent churches," that he had "excellent technique and magnificent tone", and played on the new Holton trumpet model cornet. Crucially it left out his first name, which is a handicap in research. So far I can only find him in the 1920 and 1930 US census under his initials. <br /><br />In another photo from the brochure of the Metropolitan String Quartet, Conrad is shown playing cello, so he evidently he had broad musical skills. His father was German and his mother was a German-Pennsylvanian so his musicianship had roots in the old country.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br /><br />What made this simple postcard so useful is that it was sent to the musician who saved all these photos and added annotations to the backs. She was the cellist, <b>Miss Nellie Woolman</b> of South Bend, Indiana. In my story last week she is the one person in the group not identified by name. The snapshots were sent back home for Nellie's family to see, and since obviously they would recognize her, she merely wrote "cellist" to indicate herself. Here in the train station tea party she is second from left. Standing left is Sophie, the percussionist, and seated next to Nellie is a new face, an older woman&nbsp; with glasses, who looks a bit like Senator Elizabeth Warren, lifts her teacup in a toast. We will meet her later.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nzt3eEWzSkg/XmmBVaGwV9I/AAAAAAAAUUI/f0N3p0_mRtEgnKLXJfDsIve8nLrdORBKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B08%2Btst%2BCC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="1126" height="514" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nzt3eEWzSkg/XmmBVaGwV9I/AAAAAAAAUUI/f0N3p0_mRtEgnKLXJfDsIve8nLrdORBKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B08%2Btst%2BCC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rilPkeSLDC4/XmEmNHWUypI/AAAAAAAAUQc/tEuI9Uo2RiMyUsZmhE8g_zU8Qs9jMIydACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B09%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1600" height="448" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rilPkeSLDC4/XmEmNHWUypI/AAAAAAAAUQc/tEuI9Uo2RiMyUsZmhE8g_zU8Qs9jMIydACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B09%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Looking like seven women on a shopping expedition, this next photo actually shows six musicians of the Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra with one other woman outside the entrance to some kind of retail store. From right to left they are: Iona Leonore Hart, the pianist and reader; an unknown woman; Gretchen Cox, 1st violin; Elizabeth Harting, 2nd violin; Nellie Woolman, cellist; Sophie, the percussionist; and a new member of the ensemble, the unknown woman with glasses that sat next to Nellie at the train station. All of the women wear heavy coats that reach to their ankles and broad brimmed hats. A note on the back gives their location which explains why they are dressed for the cold.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UUaXUGXxSl8/XmGsVsIdtdI/AAAAAAAAURs/cwU3BGEyEIoqRRPZG3MwIb-O5gI7_3y9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B09%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1109" data-original-width="1600" height="442" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UUaXUGXxSl8/XmGsVsIdtdI/AAAAAAAAURs/cwU3BGEyEIoqRRPZG3MwIb-O5gI7_3y9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B09%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">(T)aken at Hibbing with one of Mr. Cos<br />_rove’s booking agents.&nbsp; She w(as)<br />(a) gay old girl too believe me.</span></span></i></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br />In <a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2020/03/on-tour-with-metropolitan-ladies.html" target="_blank">Part 1</a> of my story, the last photos on the train caboose were taken when the group was on their way from Hibbing, Minnesota about to cross the border with Canada into Fort Frances, Ontario. In this annotation "Mr. Cosgrove" was the name of the Canadian presenter who secured numerous dates for a fall tour of the Metropolitans in Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.&nbsp; On October 12, 1912 the <i>Free Press</i> newspaper of Winnipeg, Manitoba published a review of a performance by the Metropolitan Ladies's Orchestra.<br /><br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">A Concert was given in Zion Methodist Church last evening by the Metropolitan Ladies's Orchestra of Chicago. To people who like music in general, without confining their taste to either the popular or the classical kind, the programme given by this little groupe of musicians must have been very enjoyable. The audience, though very small, applauded with enthusiasm. The six young ladies and their manager, J. Albert Conrad, constitute a seven-piece orchestra which is capable of giving an acceptable rendering of classics such as standard overtures, as well as compositions that are of a more "popular" nature. They have all their work very well prepared, and play not only with commendable precision but with a good deal of enthusiasm. In spite of the smallness of the number of instruments, the ensemble is quite pleasing. In one number four of the players resolved themselves into a string quartette, giving a gratifying performance of "The Mill" by Raff, and Schubert's "Marche Militaire." Though their quartette playing is not remarkable for delicacy, their straightforward style is well suited to such compositions.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">As soloists the company invariably made a good impression. <b>Miss Gretchen M. Cox</b>, the first violin and director of the orchestra, is remarkable for her masculine firmness of tone and vigor of style. Her technique is quite equal to the difficult "Fantasie Passiopata" by Vieuxtemps, which she played with appropriate fire and energy. That she excels also in the music of the opposite kind, was proved by her delightful renderings of Schumann's "Traumerei." Miss Cox is a very admirable violiniste. <b>Miss Lawson</b> has a sweet soprano voice, and her singing was well received by the audience. <b>Miss Eckhart</b>, who handles the "traps" of the orchestra in a satisfactory manner, made a good impression with her xylophone solo. The cello playing of <b>Miss Woolman</b> was distinguished by smoothness and beauty of tone and by musical feeling. <b>Miss Hart</b> is a good accompanist, and she successfully combined the piano with her monologues, her comic number being especially acceptable. <b>Mr. Conrad</b> played the cornet like a virtuoso, and in the quartette he showed himself a capable performer on the viola.</span></blockquote><br /><br />This was the only extensive review in 1912-13 I could find that identified nearly all seven performers of the Metropolitan Ladies's Orchestra. The new person was Miss Adele Lawson, whose first name appeared in another review. She was a soprano who had worked with the Metropolitans in the previous 1911-1912 season, and was absent in the 1912 Chautauqua summer season when Miss Langton, the clarinetist, took her place. The percussionist, whose surname was clipped from an earlier photo, was Miss Sophie Eckhart. She was also playing as a substitute, as was Miss Nellie Woolman, the cellist, who found Mr. Cosgrove's agent so bemusing.<br /><br />The reviewer's slightly snippy tone aside, the concert's music was likely very similar to their summer programs, albeit with Miss Lawson's songs instead of clarinet solos. The arrangements the group played are typical of music reductions and adaptations that musicians have always used for entertaining audiences who prefer familiar tunes over sophisticated academic music. Though we might consider this kind of music a cliche, or even trite, we must remember that audiences of this era listened differently as their ears were not subjected to the constant repetition of recorded music that we hear in our time. Music performed live was really the only music people ever heard. The genres of music were less strict, so a popular song of Stephen Foster might follow an opera excerpt of Giuseppe Verdi. In fact the concert piece Miss Cox played by Henri Vieuxtemps (1820-1881), a Belgian composer and violin virtuoso, is exceptionally difficult and would require a very skilled violinist to play it well.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">But Winnipeg was just the start of a northern adventure <br />for the Metropolitan Ladies's Orchestra</div><div style="text-align: center;">to finish the year 1912. </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b> </span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LNE3Py7mW_Q/XmEmTvrdY5I/AAAAAAAAUQk/Rm50daZkIC0Zs5wCR7qOorKzH280FBHrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B10%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="1600" height="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LNE3Py7mW_Q/XmEmTvrdY5I/AAAAAAAAUQk/Rm50daZkIC0Zs5wCR7qOorKzH280FBHrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B10%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />In most of the 15 photos in this collection the camera is about 10-15 feet away. But in this photo the camera is placed more than 40 feet away in order to get an entire farmhouse in the frame. It's a little house on the prairie with a hay wagon and large barn in the background. The image is a bit grainy but Miss Woolman is seated on the right corner of the porch next to a small girl. Standing behind her is the woman with the glasses. Mr. Conrad is on the stoop wearing a bow tie and winter cap. Behind him is a woman in a white dress with two children, her daughters I think. Gretchen Cox is seated center with Miss Hart next to her petting a black dog.&nbsp; On the left are a man and woman I don't recognize from the other photos. And on the far left is a very tall man in a billed cap wearing gauntlets whom I believe is the farmer of this place. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yxZsreseZHE/XmEmbKUW80I/AAAAAAAAUQo/UZqAlocNS1sw3U-RgaPzJX9sflsWeM7PQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B10%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="1600" height="408" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yxZsreseZHE/XmEmbKUW80I/AAAAAAAAUQo/UZqAlocNS1sw3U-RgaPzJX9sflsWeM7PQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B10%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">(G)liechen&nbsp; Oct 27<br />(R)ather 15 miles from Gliechen in<br />(fro)nt of the Bonnar bungalow.<br />(t)he whole family &amp; us. They<br />(ma)de me think of Harry &amp; Lydia.</span></span></i></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br />Today Gleichen, Alberta has a population of about 325 citizens, but in 1912 there were over 583 residents and the town could boast of an Opera House. On October 26, 1912 the Metropolitan Ladies's Orchestra of Chicago played a concert there of <i>Orchestral Selections, String Ensembles, Violin, Vocal, Cornet, Xylophone Solos and Readings.&nbsp; The Best Yet to Appear in Gleichen.</i><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8IiPb-r35Zo/XmvrVlrkMhI/AAAAAAAAUUY/CBPhu5Tj4gITfSW21iv3OeHeWPUOUcJ3QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1912-10-24%2BGleichen%2BAB%2BCall%2B-%2BMLO%2Badvert.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="559" height="231" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8IiPb-r35Zo/XmvrVlrkMhI/AAAAAAAAUUY/CBPhu5Tj4gITfSW21iv3OeHeWPUOUcJ3QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1912-10-24%2BGleichen%2BAB%2BCall%2B-%2BMLO%2Badvert.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gleichen AB <i>Call</i><br />24 October 1912</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The Metropolitans were now over only 775 miles from Winnipeg.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b> </span></span></b><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MYTeRWv7o4Y/XmEmhmPMgbI/AAAAAAAAUQs/f7zgjOsaavgTj-H_siqQ1CBDZplKD6nAQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B11%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="430" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MYTeRWv7o4Y/XmEmhmPMgbI/AAAAAAAAUQs/f7zgjOsaavgTj-H_siqQ1CBDZplKD6nAQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B11%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I have never seen the spare tire in my newest 2018 car. I do know where the spare is stored in my 2006 truck, but in 15 years of ownership I've never bothered to remove it from beneath the truck's bed. But in an automobile from 1912, the spare tire was readily available under the right arm of the driver.<br /><br />In this wonderful image, eight women are packed into an open top touring car. They grin with delight at the camera. Everyone is in heavy coats and winter hats. The car is parked on a dirt road outside a commercial type wood building. A windpump in the background has lettering on the vane. There are chains on the auto's rear tires.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Miss Woolman is third from right next to the driver. I don't think there is any space in the car for her cello. It's three weeks since the concert in&nbsp; Gleichen, and the Metropolitans are around 225 miles farther north. (In 1912 the Canadians did drive on the right side of the roads like Americans, but in the early years of automobiles the steering wheel was often affixed on the right. Beginning in 1908 this flipped to left-hand drive on Henry Ford's cars.)&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oY6Mx_eidDY/XmEmmgtpzDI/AAAAAAAAUQw/Jgc_dzNizkQBvxZLBVlKM3n7b0ChSe36gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B11%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1066" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oY6Mx_eidDY/XmEmmgtpzDI/AAAAAAAAUQw/Jgc_dzNizkQBvxZLBVlKM3n7b0ChSe36gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B11%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span></i><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Scat. Nov. 18<br />The skating party<br />Mother &amp; girl and man<br />that took us.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Woolman</span></span></i></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br />After playing at the Gleichen Opera House, the&nbsp;Metropolitan Ladies's Orchestra followed the rail line north in the great Canadian plains. They played Strathmore, Alberta, population 531, on October 28, followed by a concert in Didsbury, pop. 726, on November 6.&nbsp; Then Lacombe, pop. 1,029 on November 8th and Alix, pop. 267, on the 9th. These were concerts in churches, assembly halls, or civic "opera houses". The programs were rarely described but likely followed the repertoire the group had developed over the past few months.&nbsp; On November 21 the Metropolitans reached Edmonton, pop. 24,900, to perform at the most northern venue. Two days later on November 23, they were in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, pop. 12,004.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pa-2ujPtK6E/XmxGJqpMqJI/AAAAAAAAUUk/4UuNuw8rRHoJqKjQFTwwCIZ0RPzo_CzewCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1912-11-08%2BMirror%2BAB%2BJournal%2B-%2BMLO%2Bplay.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="809" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pa-2ujPtK6E/XmxGJqpMqJI/AAAAAAAAUUk/4UuNuw8rRHoJqKjQFTwwCIZ0RPzo_CzewCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1912-11-08%2BMirror%2BAB%2BJournal%2B-%2BMLO%2Bplay.JPG" width="529" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mirror AB <i>Journal</i><br />08 November 1912</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Towns on the great plains of North America were spread out, often following the pathways mapped out by the railways. In 1912 Alberta, Canada was still a developing province and all of these "small" towns had seen a boom in population since the start of the century. Gleichen jumped from 101 citizens in 1901 to 583 by 1911. Didsbury's growth was nearly 550%, Edmonton increased by 848%, and Saskatoon's population shot up 10,523% in a decade! This wave of eastern Canadians and new immigrants moving to the western towns brought new vigor to the culture on the great plains. And little traveling troupes like the Metropolitan Ladies's Orchestra served a need these communities had for good entertainment.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b> </span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lculFKwhxQU/XmEmsck2cVI/AAAAAAAAUQ0/7Gh20ASNw2Qht_a3-YO46jyVFfF2HQiAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B12%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="1600" height="378" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lculFKwhxQU/XmEmsck2cVI/AAAAAAAAUQ0/7Gh20ASNw2Qht_a3-YO46jyVFfF2HQiAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B12%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" width="640" />&nbsp;</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's rare to see how people traveled in earlier times. In this dark grainy photo, with contrast corrected,&nbsp; the Metropolitans are lined up on a train platform in front of a pyramid of trunks. The top one is stenciled with <span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><b>METROPOLITAN LADIES ORCHESTRA, NO. 2 THEATRE</b></span> . Each musician has a valise. Miss Woolman has her cello in a canvas case next to her. Mr. Conrad on the left wears his coat collar turned up and a winter hat. There is no annotation but I think they are somewhere above the lower 48 I think.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Moving south from Saskatchewan, the Metropolitans played their last concert in Canada on December 6 in Emerson, Manitoba the border twin of Pembina, North Dakota. Their return journey to Chicago included one final concert on December 12 in Crystal Falls, Michigan on the Upper Peninsula. From early October to mid-December the seven musicians of the Metropolitan Ladies's Orchestra had traveled over 3,700 miles and surely played may more times concerts than I could find in the newspaper reports. (My estimates of distance use the Google Maps highway routing, but train routes would be nearly the same.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BcusVt5kv5I/Xm0IdzBcgLI/AAAAAAAAUUs/lrHe-jZhVrIw3v3OcCULxFWNYnryE2A5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Tour%2BDates%2BOCT_NOV%2B%2B1912%2BMap.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="1122" height="532" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BcusVt5kv5I/Xm0IdzBcgLI/AAAAAAAAUUs/lrHe-jZhVrIw3v3OcCULxFWNYnryE2A5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Tour%2BDates%2BOCT_NOV%2B%2B1912%2BMap.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div>The producer of the Metropolitan Ladies's Orchestra was named Louis O. Runner. He was an enterprising trombonist and had put together two other ensembles of "lady" musicians, The Chicago Ladies' Orchestra, and The University Girls. The writing style of the time almost always used the adjective "ladies" instead of "women" to label these groups, less common "girls", and never ever, gasp, "female". The trade journal for Chautauqua and Lyceum entertainers, The Lyceumite and Talent, published a group photo of Runner's three ensembles. There are 25 women but L. O. Runner and J. Albert Conrad are the only men in the picture. Several references in newspapers indicate that players sometimes transferred from one ensemble to another. No doubt Mr. Runner kept a map of North America to track his talent, and a thick catalog of musician names.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wTE2hYxLh4Q/XmkBLXD2DQI/AAAAAAAAUT8/t1Ru4Enc38kzt7JQjkZzmXtcu3tSDjIQACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1912_OCT%2BThe%2BLyceumite%2Band%2BTalent.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1191" data-original-width="891" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wTE2hYxLh4Q/XmkBLXD2DQI/AAAAAAAAUT8/t1Ru4Enc38kzt7JQjkZzmXtcu3tSDjIQACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1912_OCT%2BThe%2BLyceumite%2Band%2BTalent.JPG" width="478" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Lyceumite and Talent</i><br />October 1912<br />Source: <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Pg0cAQAAMAAJ&amp;pg=RA4-PA34&amp;lpg=RA4-PA34&amp;dq=%22metropolitan+Ladies+Orchestra%22&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=rRP_vq_c5h&amp;sig=7YHlg1ytyDT9rxf3aq7-QbHKdA0&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0CDQQ6AEwBGoVChMIqMmHo_r-xwIVTG4-Ch2_ygX8#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=true" target="_blank">Google Books</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fYAFJjy9QbM/XmEm1UaILdI/AAAAAAAAUQ8/PRx8hrRGiTI_xR7j2w65SL0kUbAQK0WeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B13%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="1600" height="390" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fYAFJjy9QbM/XmEm1UaILdI/AAAAAAAAUQ8/PRx8hrRGiTI_xR7j2w65SL0kUbAQK0WeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B13%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The final three photos in this collection are more intimate portraits of three of the musicians. This one shows Miss Gretchen Cox, violinist, with Miss Ione Hart, pianist, and Miss Nellie Woolman, cellist. It a classic musical trio and the three women look as if they have just taken a break during a rehearsal. Their shy smiles and relaxed posture suggest a good friendship of musicians comfortable with each other. There is no note on this postcard size photo.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uyI9csHeriE/XmkA-Nv3lYI/AAAAAAAAUT4/KZo_cMRJRt8tBDFGTqhJvCcH1vVbiQfoACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Gretchen%2BCox%2BConcert%2BCompany%2BPage_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1117" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uyI9csHeriE/XmkA-Nv3lYI/AAAAAAAAUT4/KZo_cMRJRt8tBDFGTqhJvCcH1vVbiQfoACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Gretchen%2BCox%2BConcert%2BCompany%2BPage_1.jpg" width="446" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra brochure<br />Source: <a href="https://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/islandora/object/ui%3Atc_21964" target="_blank">University of Iowa Libraries</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The violinist and leader of the Metropolitan Ladies's Orchestra was Gretchen Marian Cox. In 1912 she was age 27, born in Wisconsin, and single. After this tour of the Metropolitans, in about 1913 she formed her own group, the Gretchen Cox Concert Company. This was a trio with a different cellist and pianist, which marketed itself to the Chautauqua and Lyceum circuits. Unlike the week-long summer festivals of the Chautauquas, Lyceums were generally musical recitals, concerts. and educational lectures scheduled throughout a fall/winter season as a series. They were popular with smaller communities which could not afford the price of booking multiple entertainers at once like the Chautauquas.&nbsp; A typical sponsor might be a town church or YMCA organization selling tickets for its own benefit.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gN2ONFlyIws/Xm0gpc-oa8I/AAAAAAAAUU0/dokemnpuKZESCpWDiOr-kQOlXp7T8c_QACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1917-06-21%2BGove%2BCity%2BKS%2BRepublican_Gazette%2B-%2BG_Cox%2Bviolin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="416" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gN2ONFlyIws/Xm0gpc-oa8I/AAAAAAAAUU0/dokemnpuKZESCpWDiOr-kQOlXp7T8c_QACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1917-06-21%2BGove%2BCity%2BKS%2BRepublican_Gazette%2B-%2BG_Cox%2Bviolin.JPG" width="295" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />She was still playing the circuit in the summer of 1917, but with a different concert company, when her picture appeared in the Grove City, Kansas newspaper.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NK-HfAGfUDk/XmEnHOzbAfI/AAAAAAAAURM/UAFY19LwTLYol0HgwvJowwV13ToL3TDCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B14%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1600" height="392" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NK-HfAGfUDk/XmEnHOzbAfI/AAAAAAAAURM/UAFY19LwTLYol0HgwvJowwV13ToL3TDCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B14%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />This next photo was taken at the same time as the last one. The same three women now pose without instruments next to a large fireplace. Gretchen and Nellie look over Ione's shoulder as she studies a music score. The light from a window is enough to illuminate the trio and give the image a warm artistic effect. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8tx_tEZE_QY/XmkAspljVSI/AAAAAAAAUTw/yAnmLRtaff8uwPiCiMACP4Qa5PUYYf0OwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2BPage_3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1085" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8tx_tEZE_QY/XmkAspljVSI/AAAAAAAAUTw/yAnmLRtaff8uwPiCiMACP4Qa5PUYYf0OwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2BPage_3.jpg" width="432" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra brochure<br />Source: <a href="https://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/islandora/object/ui%3Atc_53449" target="_blank">University of Iowa Libraries</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The pianist and reader for the&nbsp;Metropolitan Ladies's Orchestra, Ione Leonore Hart had previously&nbsp; played with the group in the 1911-12 season. She was age 23, born in Illinois, and single. Her talent besides being a piano accompanist was giving "readings and pianologues = playing her own accompaniments." A pianologue is an unfamiliar term that I think is similar to what a piano accompanist would do for a silent film, but in this case recite a story or poem as they play descriptive music. It may have involved vocal and comedic artistry too. In the snapshots she appears to be an animated personality that make me believe she was always the center of attention, both on stage and off. In 1915 she married Leroy Link, raised 4 children, and moved from Chicago to Connecticut and then California.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b> </span></span></b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1TgppgWjphw/XmEnlUxRbZI/AAAAAAAAURY/hPk3H7ud6U0CEONfSRJwi1CqrVaXGtkoACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B15%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="845" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1TgppgWjphw/XmEnlUxRbZI/AAAAAAAAURY/hPk3H7ud6U0CEONfSRJwi1CqrVaXGtkoACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B15%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="454" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"></div>The last photo in this collection is a single portrait of the cellist, Miss Nellie Woolman. Of all the string instruments the cello is my favorite for its tone, so similar to my own instrument the horn. It was taken in the same room as the preceding photos, and Nellie sits in front of the room's large fireplace. The image is quite small, almost a contact print of the film negative. But it is on a postcard that was mailed on February 3, 1913 to&nbsp; Miss Emma Woolman, 628 W. La Salle Ave., South Bend, Indiana. Emma was Nellie's older sister and the recipient of most of these photos sent during the past several months.<br /><br />Nellie Woolman was born in Indiana in 1889. She was now age 23 and like the other musicians, single. Her father was a mason and building contractor in South Bend, Indiana. Nellie was the youngest of five children in her family with an 18 year difference between her oldest brother and herself. Her first instrument was the violin and by the age of 19 Nellie was listed as a violin and music teacher in the South Bend city directory. But as we shall see, the cello became her main instrument.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The large message space on this postcard gives us the best idea of Nellie's voice.</div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HXYtAVYTfRA/XmEnQ7CURcI/AAAAAAAAURQ/YNqA7Op2FV0ZYMg51G4EDbjK2uAQfLP9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B15%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1015" data-original-width="1600" height="406" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HXYtAVYTfRA/XmEnQ7CURcI/AAAAAAAAURQ/YNqA7Op2FV0ZYMg51G4EDbjK2uAQfLP9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B15%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Feb.3.1913<br />Dear Emma :-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; How do<br />you like the artistic pose<br />Mr. C. took it with his<br />little pocket kodak the<br />day he took us three<br />girls at Quincy.&nbsp; Wish<br />he could have gotten<br />a little of the piano<br />in—it was right<br />back of me.&nbsp; I look rather<br />detached &amp; it would be<br />quite impossible for me<br />to play in that chair.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span style="font-size: small;">over</span><br />&nbsp;</span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8E7nC2PohP4/XmEnWCAbwrI/AAAAAAAAURU/VV-pByGkm4oSHqDyYUtK9p1l2DHH9zh5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B15%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="1600" height="396" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8E7nC2PohP4/XmEnWCAbwrI/AAAAAAAAURU/VV-pByGkm4oSHqDyYUtK9p1l2DHH9zh5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B15%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Got Charles letter today<br />too—it was interesting<br />sounded just like him.<br /><br />I forgot to give you<br />my new dates in<br />your letter so here they <br />are.<br />Feb. 10 Yorkville&nbsp; Ill.<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 11 Morroco&nbsp;&nbsp; Indiana<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 12 Covington&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 13 Logansport&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 14 Churubusco&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 17 Marlette&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mich.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 18 Evart.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 19 Saranac&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 20 Bronson&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 22 Carson City “&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></i></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HIoHQ_0r91M/Xm0uZj3GjgI/AAAAAAAAUVE/vRdDVvLBswk2hetYzpaPNN2rZf41_N3_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1913-01-11%2BDavenport%2BIA%2BDaily%2BTime%2B-%2BMLO%2Breview%2Bb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="411" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HIoHQ_0r91M/Xm0uZj3GjgI/AAAAAAAAUVE/vRdDVvLBswk2hetYzpaPNN2rZf41_N3_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1913-01-11%2BDavenport%2BIA%2BDaily%2BTime%2B-%2BMLO%2Breview%2Bb.JPG" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />In January 1913 the&nbsp;Metropolitan Ladies's Orchestra played at least a dozen single engagements in a number of small towns and cities west of Chicago. Mr. Conrad's postcard was a reminder about the start of this tour. One concert was in Davenport, Iowa and the newspaper review included some of the program numbers and praised the musicians by name. Several pieces are unfamiliar to me "Overture Raymond" by Thomas; "La Poloma" by Yrodier. An excerpt of Verdi's "Il Trovatore" was followed by Meacham's march "America Patrol." The three string playerss with Mr. Conrad on viola formed a quartet to play Mozart's "Andante Allegro," which could be the title of nearly everything Mozart wrote.&nbsp; Mr. Conrad gave a cornet solo, "Grand Russian Fantasia" by Levy, a theme and variations for cornet with lots of virtuosic embellishment and super fast notes. Miss Woolman's rendition of Chopin's "Nocturne" was "beautiful".&nbsp; Miss Lawson sang two songs "with much feeling and finish." Miss Cox played the Vieuxtemps piece again and was "heartily applauded and gave as encore a simple folk song. As director Miss Cox showed no less skill than in her violin numbers."<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br />It's unclear whether Nellie Woolman's dates for February 1913 are with the Metropolitan's again. I suspect this for a different ensemble, a piano string trio, where Nellie stepped in as a sub for the cellist, Adele Lawson's sister, who was getting married.&nbsp; It was another route of over 1,000 miles.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-404DMIHzBUw/XmGvTH8mriI/AAAAAAAAUR0/R2PAM2ESsFcp-VJ67i8oihrs18uAOcZ9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Tour%2BDates%2BFEB%2B1913%2BMap.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="796" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-404DMIHzBUw/XmGvTH8mriI/AAAAAAAAUR0/R2PAM2ESsFcp-VJ67i8oihrs18uAOcZ9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Tour%2BDates%2BFEB%2B1913%2BMap.JPG" width="538" /></a></div><br />As far as I can tell Nellie never played again in the&nbsp;Metropolitan Ladies's Orchestra. The group did play another two Chautauqua summer seasons in 1913 and 1914, and then briefly in 1919. Most likely L. O. Runner's three ladies' orchestras evolved and dissolved with the fickle change of taste in American culture. After the war many communities found it too difficult to maintain an annual Chautauqua festival and in the 1920s began to scale back on the size of their events. Bookings declined and many performers found the competitive circuit too grueling. And by the 1930s Chautauquas were old fashioned compared to the new entertainment of sound film.<br /><br />In March 1914 Nellie Woolman was a member of another chamber trio, The Japan Company, with a soprano who also was a pianist. The Muscatine, Iowa newspaper ran a photo of Nellie with the program.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KSgcbzyu0bY/Xm09c98_-xI/AAAAAAAAUVM/WpQ6m96WY7sLQzG8kPwAbzRaidwtFqRGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1914-03-18%2BMuscatine%2BIA%2BNews_Tribune%2B-%2BJapan%2BCo%2BPROGRAM%2BN_Woolman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="983" data-original-width="561" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KSgcbzyu0bY/Xm09c98_-xI/AAAAAAAAUVM/WpQ6m96WY7sLQzG8kPwAbzRaidwtFqRGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1914-03-18%2BMuscatine%2BIA%2BNews_Tribune%2B-%2BJapan%2BCo%2BPROGRAM%2BN_Woolman.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Muscatine IA News Tribune<br />18 March 1915</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />In 1915 she joined a six piece costumed troupe called The Bohemian Orchestra for a tour of southern state's Chautauquas. The next year 1916 found her in California living near San Diego playing in The Chicago Ladies Philharmonic Quartet. After 8 months she was back in South Bend. In the 1920 census she lived there with her other sister, Edith and family, listing her occupation as <i>Concert Player (Musician)</i>. She was 31 years old and still single. But some people just need time to find the right person.<br /><br />Sometime between August 1922, when she was included in a South Bend news items as <u>Miss</u> Nellie Woolman, and June 1923, when she was listed as as&nbsp;<u>Mrs.</u>&nbsp;Nell Woolman Walthe playing a cello solo in Wilmington, Delaware, Nellie got married to Albert W. Walther, a draftsman. But as a sensible musician she kept her professional name, and appeared on Wilmington church programs and once as a member of The Women's Symphony Orchestra of Philadelphia.&nbsp;<br /><br />But the best part was to find <b>Nell Woolman Walther, cellist</b>, listed in the radio schedule for WFI, Philadelphia. <i>3:00 P. M. –</i> <i>Program under the auspices of the Delaware County Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution.&nbsp;</i><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c-bMMX-RKZQ/Xm1BfY3f_oI/AAAAAAAAUVU/Fzf9AhPSJZ8ek98MWdcyJNjZKUOfNwItQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1924-03-26%2BScranton%2BPA%2BTimes%2BTrib%2B-%2BNWW%2Bcellist%2BWFI%2Bradio.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="590" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c-bMMX-RKZQ/Xm1BfY3f_oI/AAAAAAAAUVU/Fzf9AhPSJZ8ek98MWdcyJNjZKUOfNwItQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1924-03-26%2BScranton%2BPA%2BTimes%2BTrib%2B-%2BNWW%2Bcellist%2BWFI%2Bradio.JPG" width="456" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scranton PA <i>Times</i><br />26 march 1923</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Considering how far she traveled on the train as a working musician, getting her cello to ride the radio waves at 395 meters and instantly be heard in all parts of North America, must have seemed a marvel to Nellie Woolman.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bYY4f48W6nM/Xm0o8rJbG1I/AAAAAAAAUU8/qTGpowWG0dAzAH395QMlj4jXdaBBW0lqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B13%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bYY4f48W6nM/Xm0o8rJbG1I/AAAAAAAAUU8/qTGpowWG0dAzAH395QMlj4jXdaBBW0lqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B13%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="558" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>CODA:</b></span></div><br />Sadly I could not find anything about Nellie Woolman Walther after 1927. Her name stops appearing in the newspapers and is not in the next census records. Her husband Albert was listed as a widow in the 1930 census and I suspect Nellie died sometime in that three year period, though I have not found any obituary or state records. If I am correct, she would have been around 40 years old at her death.<br /><br />This small collection of 15 snapshots from 1912-1913 was a special keepsake. I don't know for sure it was Nellie's, perhaps it was one of her sisters who cropped the photos and pasted them into an album. There were probably more, now lost in time and space. Some of the names are incomplete, I may have them in a the wrong sequence, and there are insufficient clues to properly identify everyone. Was Mr. J. Albert Conrad's first name Josef or Johann? I'll probably never solve that riddle.&nbsp;<br /><br />Nonetheless the photos give a sketch of the working life of professional musicians in 1912, especially female musicians employed at a time when women did not enjoy equal opportunity in America. The ladies' bands and women's chamber music groups, like the&nbsp;Metropolitan Ladies's Orchestra, offered a place for talented female musicians to be heard, even as they were excluded from working in the dominant show business groups of all-male bands and orchestras. It's unlikely I'll ever find a contract that shows what the Metropolitan musicians were paid, but I suspect it was much less than what a similar male group would have received. For a woman of this era to make a career in music required perseverance, dedication, and likely support from their parents too. Yet as Nellie ends up on the radio, that is a testimony to her talent and appeal.<br /><br />Mr. Conrad's pocket Kodak was an excellent camera. But it's the whisper of Nellie's voice on the back of his photos that inspired me to work out the context of the Metropolitan Ladies's Orchestra. I bet they sounded swell. I hope you can almost hear them too.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/03/sepia-saturday-511-14-march-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a></div><div style="text-align: center;">where everyone has gone to the dogs,</div><div style="text-align: center;">which is actually a good thing.</div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/03/sepia-saturday-511-14-march-2020.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-87dQav33pM4/XmopbYW51AI/AAAAAAAB-es/9P53TtTGYhwIxooHQKrBq1PdPN9MeiG5wCKgBGAsYHg/s400/2002022z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-8835682824388826112020-03-07T11:22:00.001-05:002020-06-04T21:51:06.855-04:00On Tour with the Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra - part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7aIP8SEvgPM/XmEiij_o4tI/AAAAAAAAUPc/qmiGxnUMR98Z_yvpf2q0ZL6hEocdvH0HgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B05%2Btst%2BE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1200" height="474" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7aIP8SEvgPM/XmEiij_o4tI/AAAAAAAAUPc/qmiGxnUMR98Z_yvpf2q0ZL6hEocdvH0HgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B05%2Btst%2BE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Do you remember that delightful afternoon?</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sZg2o764w1s/XmEirKh058I/AAAAAAAAUPg/txboCPlDWtMhv03eJqHx2vMW8eWJrjq7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B04%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1200" height="476" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sZg2o764w1s/XmEirKh058I/AAAAAAAAUPg/txboCPlDWtMhv03eJqHx2vMW8eWJrjq7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B04%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">That magical summer when you made new friends,</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zcrs5cSR2WA/XmEiwQIg2SI/AAAAAAAAUPk/4tkzrNPBp6Y7m7FzFiH4JfRTscirUQsBACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B03%2Btst%2BE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1200" height="456" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zcrs5cSR2WA/XmEiwQIg2SI/AAAAAAAAUPk/4tkzrNPBp6Y7m7FzFiH4JfRTscirUQsBACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B03%2Btst%2BE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">experienced new joy you'd never imagined before,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--NcjF3M369U/Xl_Vb94PIDI/AAAAAAAAUO4/ya5qtcONuYYR2NagM_ZeGEBvzr68kkVBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B07%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--NcjF3M369U/Xl_Vb94PIDI/AAAAAAAAUO4/ya5qtcONuYYR2NagM_ZeGEBvzr68kkVBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B07%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="632" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">and went on a wondrous adventure of a lifetime?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">&nbsp;How could you ever forget?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Happily someone had a camera to record it.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is a story of one such musical adventure<br />recounted through a series of photographs.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unlike most of the photos of musicians in my collection, <br />which are often formal poses and only rarely identified,<br />these are 15 amateur snapshots of a small music ensemble<br />that cover a period of about nine months <br />from June 1912 to February 1913.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Individually they might seem trivial, even insignificant,</span><br />but what makes these photos truly exceptional<br />is that there is a faint whisper of a narrator,<br />the personal voice of one of the musicians.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Altogether the photos illustrate an important art form <br />of early 20th century American culture —<br />the music of the Chautauqua and Lyceum circuits.</span> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Besides being a musical story<br />it is also a kind of travelogue <br />that divides neatly into two chapters,<br />spring/summer and fall/winter.<br />&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">We begin with part one.<br />Somewhere in the American Midwest<br />it is late spring, maybe early summer.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-size: large;">Seven young people, six women and one man,<br />pose outside in the sunshine for a group photo.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0T9W7_DgCYA/Xl_T1V09Q-I/AAAAAAAAUNM/AzFSHJMiLAE1UHb9f-iYHcN4zo2sA0t7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B01%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1191" data-original-width="1600" height="476" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0T9W7_DgCYA/Xl_T1V09Q-I/AAAAAAAAUNM/AzFSHJMiLAE1UHb9f-iYHcN4zo2sA0t7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B01%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The man and four women in the middle of the lineup smile direct at the camera, while the two women on either side calculatingly show off their profiles. They wear sensible clothes but are not in formal dress. All appear to be in their 20s. We would not know they are musicians except for the note on the back. Sadly all of the photo were cropped to fix into an album with the result that the penciled note is clipped. I have completed some words by taking a guess based on the context of all the notes.</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f8zt4LIxeKk/Xl_T7Q6BIJI/AAAAAAAAUNU/L221ECF2D1UcB57oH-UzD5SO34Qxq5-XgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B01%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="1600" height="468" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f8zt4LIxeKk/Xl_T7Q6BIJI/AAAAAAAAUNU/L221ECF2D1UcB57oH-UzD5SO34Qxq5-XgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B01%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /> <i>(This) is the Co. taken when at rehearsals<br /> _ri. From left to right – the clarinet<br /> _e Langton of Ohio, my roommate – M_<br /> _chen Cox of Evanston first violinist – <br /> _abeth Harting, second violinist Chica(go)<br /> Conrad manager – Cellist – Soph(ie)<br /> _hart drummer of New York &amp; Ione<br /> _t Chicago pianist &amp; reader</i></span></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br />The writer refers to rehearsals of the <i>Company</i>.&nbsp; This would be <b>The Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra,</b> a professional ensemble that was part of the <a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/2001561150/" target="_blank">Redpath Lyceum Bureau</a>. This booking agency managed hundreds of entertainers, lecturers, and performing groups for America's Chautauqua and Lyceum circuits from 1904 to 1932. The Metropolitan Lades Orchestra was a typical Redpath ensemble that was promoted in a stylish brochure with photos and florid descriptions of the kind of music they played. The full ensemble had seven musicians, all women except for the cornet player. Of the group in my photo, only the short woman on the right, Ione, the pianist, and the manager, Conrad, are recognizable in the brochure's photo. <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j_D8i0wcHg4/XmKVdMJpK8I/AAAAAAAAUSk/OFe9V19uTRAwVPgf34s5_jtaw6Oh5ZaiwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2BPage_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="1600" height="440" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j_D8i0wcHg4/XmKVdMJpK8I/AAAAAAAAUSk/OFe9V19uTRAwVPgf34s5_jtaw6Oh5ZaiwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2BPage_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Metropolitan Ladies Orchestra<br />Source: <a href="https://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/tc/" target="_blank">Traveling Culture: Circuit Chautauqua in the Twentieth Century</a></td></tr></tbody></table>The group boastfully captioned itself as a <i>Full Orchestra, String Quartet, Violin, Cornet, Xylophone, and Vocal Solos, and Pianologues</i>. It was the second ensemble organized by an enterprising trombonist named Louis O. Runner. His first group was called the Chicago Ladies' Orchestra which he led on trombone. Both of Runner's groups borrowed their names from earlier performing ensembles that had already toured the country. From about 1896 to 1907, the Chicago Ladies' Orchestra, a troupe of 25 performers headed by a pair of comedians advertising a vaudeville show. In 1908-10 a a Boston group called the Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra accompanied the so-called English Grand Opera Co. It was led by a woman named Nellie Chandler and for a season or two toured the circuit of civic "opera houses" in the southern states.<br /><br /><br />But Runner's ensembles were much smaller and not the gaudy minstrel show bands of big city vaudeville theaters. He programed specifically for the popular new <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chautauqua" target="_blank">Chautauquas</a>&nbsp; hosted by small towns and cities. Beginning in 1904, these festival-like events were held in temporary locations using large canvas tents. Over several days, starting in the morning and continuing through the evening, a Chautauqua platform would present lectures from noted academics; sermons by eminent theologians; orations by prominent politicians; dramatic readings from famous actors; recitals by renowned opera singers; picture shows of exotic places narrated by well known world travelers. And the throughout the&nbsp; day there was music. Bands, solo recitals, instrumental duos, piano trios, string quartets, and ensembles like the Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra. Patrons bought subscription tickets to hear all the events. A Chautauqua combined enlightening speakers with appealing entertainment.<br /><br />In August 1911, the town of Windsor, Missouri brought the Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra to perform for three days at their 9 day Chautauqua. The local newspaper used the same photo as in their brochure. Two other groups appeared, Schildkret's Orchestra, a six piece string ensemble, and "Musical Favorites", a quartet of two men and two women who played on a variety of instruments including xylophone and banjos. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Omm2PQj9DTY/XmL3Bp67J3I/AAAAAAAAUSs/_v2wDq3ofI4zRjMP1Oq8QS8Zxgcl9OyfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1911-07-27%2BWindsor%2BMO%2BReview%2B-%2BMLO%2Badvert.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="1211" height="466" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Omm2PQj9DTY/XmL3Bp67J3I/AAAAAAAAUSs/_v2wDq3ofI4zRjMP1Oq8QS8Zxgcl9OyfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1911-07-27%2BWindsor%2BMO%2BReview%2B-%2BMLO%2Badvert.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Windsor MO <i>Review</i><br />27 July 1911</td></tr></tbody></table>Season tickets to the Windsor Chautauqua cost $2.00, with special excursion fares on the trains. Over the course of nine days the event scheduled 11 speakers, the most notable being William Jennings Bryan (1860–1925) an acclaimed orator and perennial politician from Nebraska. Bryan ran for President of the United State three times on the Democratic ticket, in the elections of 1896, 1900, and 1908. In 1912 he stepped aside for Woodrow Wilson, and was rewarded with an appointment to the office of Secretary of State from 1913 t0 1915. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vmehbnx97r4/Xl_UMxyHjzI/AAAAAAAAUNk/MWqkG2XnWQ8cBeZa96kncqNl8-LpH9FwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B02%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1027" data-original-width="1600" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vmehbnx97r4/Xl_UMxyHjzI/AAAAAAAAUNk/MWqkG2XnWQ8cBeZa96kncqNl8-LpH9FwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B02%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The photo taken after the Metropolitans' rehearsal was a bit unfocused to appreciate their faces. This beautifully arranged photo has the musicians relaxing on the grass in front of a large house. From left to right we start with Miss Elizabeth Harting, the 2nd violin. Next is the clarinetist, Miss Langton of Ohio, and Miss Sophie the drummer from New York. In the center is Mr. J. Albert Conrad, the cornetist and manager of the Metropolitans. A reflection makes it seem he sports a monocle, but he is actually wearing rimless glasses. Next is Miss Gretchen Cox, the 1st violin. Behind her is the cellist, and finally on the right, the pianist and "reader", Miss Ione Leonore Hart.<br /><br />Both Mr. Conrad and Miss Hart were members of the Metropolitans in 1911, so their names appear in the group's brochure. But everyone else is a new substitute whose face doesn't appear in the brochure photos. The clarinetist replaced a flutist, and the percussionist, the two violins, and the cello were never listed by name. Who are they?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This identification required some detective work, </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">especially to figure out which musician <br />was the author of the photos' annotations.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2aE1Zug2wnc/Xl_UQfhjzQI/AAAAAAAAUNo/cUVRTrcYtsQZB6gGMjm4d5DpRG9_YU5wACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B02%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="1600" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2aE1Zug2wnc/Xl_UQfhjzQI/AAAAAAAAUNo/cUVRTrcYtsQZB6gGMjm4d5DpRG9_YU5wACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B02%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>(tho)ught I’d get another<br />taken at Mechanicsburg O. Guess<br />Edith has the other and<br />this is for my book if I ever get to<br />make it.</i></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br />Mechanicsburg was a small town in central Ohio. The Redpath agents for the Chautauqua circuit could offer a variety of performers for a town sponsor to chose from. But the nature of transportation in this era meant that bookings had to be cleverly arranged for efficient use of time and distance. The Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra was probably created to solve their producer's logistic problems by providing a second musical ensemble that could accept a date that his first ladies' orchestra would otherwise be unable to reach.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xgcLVIpUZEQ/Xl_UgKh1I3I/AAAAAAAAUN8/8PDJ1Z17VasoiacXA-Wmb7BChihpdQt9ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B03%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="1600" height="458" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xgcLVIpUZEQ/Xl_UgKh1I3I/AAAAAAAAUN8/8PDJ1Z17VasoiacXA-Wmb7BChihpdQt9ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B03%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The next snapshot was taken during a performance of the Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra. The cellist and the clarinettist sit on the left. The two violinists, cornet player, and percussionist are at center. And to the right is Miss Hart playing an upright piano. They are on a small stage inside a bright canvas tent. An American flag is suspended above the musicians. An audience of two dozen and more are seated on benches.&nbsp; The photographer thoughtfully captioned the negative to read:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">Chautauqua, July 22 1912&nbsp; <br />Wright Photo No. 22 </span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K0y5R1bp-VQ/Xl_UkmBWDnI/AAAAAAAAUOE/99UQnKQmZKUkIdMJIPclCqlUy9po0eU7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B03%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1137" data-original-width="1600" height="454" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K0y5R1bp-VQ/Xl_UkmBWDnI/AAAAAAAAUOE/99UQnKQmZKUkIdMJIPclCqlUy9po0eU7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B03%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">This was taken at Racine Wis.&nbsp; Ther_<br />et Covington were the only tents we<br />played in.&nbsp; We met G(ov)<br />Yates here and two of the girls had t(heir)<br />(p)ictures taken with him.&nbsp; The rest of u(s)<br />didn’t happen to be around.&nbsp; W_<br />yesterday we saw him on the train<br />he invited us into the diner for (a)<br />(t)reat.&nbsp; He is a very interesting talk(er)<br />&amp; we all enjoyed it very much. He_<br />_s the picture of his home at Springfield<br />said if we were ever there to be su(re)</span></span></i></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3n5bLjI9xzk/XmMYve0GYlI/AAAAAAAAUS8/9EdkKKlPFGQcDYAERzgVM8yLM68oz02FQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Richard%2BYates%2BJr%2B1860_1936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="508" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3n5bLjI9xzk/XmMYve0GYlI/AAAAAAAAUS8/9EdkKKlPFGQcDYAERzgVM8yLM68oz02FQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Richard%2BYates%2BJr%2B1860_1936.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Yates_Jr." target="_blank">Richard Yates Jr.</a> (1860–1936)<br />22nd Governor of Illinois </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />The man who charms the girls is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Yates_Jr." target="_blank">Richard Yates Jr.</a> (1860–1936), the 22nd Governor of Illinois from 1901 to 1905. He lived in Springfield, the state capital, where his father and namesake had been governor from 1861 to 1865. The most significant legislation Yates Jr. signed during his single term was a new child labor law for Illinois, actually the first of its kind for any state, that restricted the work week for children to no more than 48 hours. After losing a bid to run for a second term, Gov. Yates, a Republican, became a frequent speaker on the Chautauqua circuit. After the war he was a U.S. Congressman for Illinois from 1919 to 1933. &nbsp; <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br />Like many professions, the entertainers and speakers on the Chautauqua circuit had a couple of trade magazines. In August 1912, The Lyceumite and Talent, published a report on the Chautauqua in Racine, Wisconsin. It used Mr. Wright's photo No. 23 to illustrate the review. <br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9STtr9uIfg/XmML_Qx7W_I/AAAAAAAAUS0/_270dg5h6xkLHbkoMix4-uw95SeDaAViwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1912_AUG%2BThe%2BLyceumite%2Band%2BTalent%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="661" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9STtr9uIfg/XmML_Qx7W_I/AAAAAAAAUS0/_270dg5h6xkLHbkoMix4-uw95SeDaAViwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1912_AUG%2BThe%2BLyceumite%2Band%2BTalent%2B2.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lyceumite and Talent<br />August 1912<br />Source: <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Pg0cAQAAMAAJ&amp;pg=RA4-PA34&amp;lpg=RA4-PA34&amp;dq=%22metropolitan+Ladies+Orchestra%22&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=rRP_vq_c5h&amp;sig=7YHlg1ytyDT9rxf3aq7-QbHKdA0&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0CDQQ6AEwBGoVChMIqMmHo_r-xwIVTG4-Ch2_ygX8#v=onepage&amp;q=metropolitan%20ladies&amp;f=true" target="_blank">Google Books</a></td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">That chautauqua audiences demand and appreciate the best things in music is evidenced by the encouragement given the Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra on their appearance at Racine, Wis.&nbsp; L. O. Runner, the manager and trainer of this musical company, has shown his real appreciation of the wants and needs of the chautauqua managers in building musical companies. He has kept his determination to offer music of a character that would appeal to the genuine musicians in every community as well as please the general crowd. The programs of the Metropolitans cover a wide range of music. The classical numbers which they offer have been selected because of their appeal to the uneducated in music in the audiences as well as the musicians. The success of this company proves the fallacy of the argument that some in the lyceum have set forth, that chautauquas want mostly common or ragtime music with ordinary sentiment.<br />Each artist is well trained for his part.&nbsp; Miss Cox, solo violinist, is wonderfully effective in her portions of the programs; in fact, this little woman has proved herself to be one of the best violinists of the lyceum. The illustration taken at Racine, while the company was given a prelude for the afternoon program, shows the company ready for work, with Miss Cox in the center, Miss Hart, reader, at the piano, and Mr Conrad, road manager, at the back.</span></span></blockquote><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mv9JLSxBiz4/Xl_UqCun-bI/AAAAAAAAUOM/raZUWxmTD4QG3B3LPRCGyaMSzazzUDXLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B04%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1093" data-original-width="1600" height="436" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mv9JLSxBiz4/Xl_UqCun-bI/AAAAAAAAUOM/raZUWxmTD4QG3B3LPRCGyaMSzazzUDXLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B04%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Trains connected much of the towns in America's Midwest. But they were slow and usually required a number of changes to get where you were going. Racine, Wisconsin is on the shores of Lake Michigan just below Milwaukee, It easily 350 miles from Mechanicburg, Ohio. Of course a traveling band would need to stay at hotels along the way, which is what we notice in the background of this next photo of the Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra.<br /><br />Once again the six young ladies arrange themselves around Mr. Conrad in the center. The women are dressed all in white, and even Mr. Conrad has white shoes, the concert fashion for a Chautauqua musician. They sit on a edge of a hotel porch. Behind them is an older woman, perhaps the hotel proprietor, perched on a hammock in front of a window sign that reads <span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">HOTEL</span>.&nbsp; Left to right is Miss Sophie, the percussionist; the cellist; Miss Hart, the pianist; Miss Cox, 1st violin; Miss Harting, 2nd violin; and Miss Langton, clarinet. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a-XNHYBSyL8/Xl_UvMYKNRI/AAAAAAAAUOU/q8vnUML4oJcr4R9qWAyYK-ZEdhNpPiNAACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B04%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="1600" height="432" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a-XNHYBSyL8/Xl_UvMYKNRI/AAAAAAAAUOU/q8vnUML4oJcr4R9qWAyYK-ZEdhNpPiNAACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B04%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">_st taken in Green Springs O.<br />_momer by a Mr. Battenberg<br />_magoo. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(?)</span>&nbsp; Mr. just get<br />_n from them sending us each a <br />_e.<br />I send another one like that I left<br />_the’s and some others we had taken<br />(Me)chanicsburg&nbsp; he hasn’t enough de<br />_d yet. </span></span></i></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br />In August 1912, the Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra was on the bill for the Hillsboro Chautauqua in Ohio. It was an 8 day affair, but the Metropolitans only played on Saturday, the next to last day. At 2:00 in the afternoon they gave a "Grand Concert" and then at 7:30 a "Prelude" before Father John Daly's lecture on "The Homeless Child at 8:00. The other musical groups performing that week were the Chicago Glee Club, a male quartet of singers; The Hearons Sisters Concert Company, a quartet of women playing a variety of instruments including cornet, violin, and guitar; and the Syrian Temple Shrine Band of Cincinnati, a very large wind band dressed in fancy "Turkish" uniforms with fez hats. Two local bands also played, the Hillsboro Military Band and the Ladies' Aristo Band.<br /><br />The highlight was on Thursday when William Jennings Bryan would address the attendees. An adult season ticket cost $1.75. The price of admission to single programs was 25¢. except for the top speakers like Bryan which cost 35¢.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9dPTjpbIfKg/XmMeUNR6gnI/AAAAAAAAUTE/Y_fpRN2TzlIa1YryU3jhEX_seSia1RVxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1912-08-01%2BHillsboror%2BOH%2BNews_Herald%2B-%2BChatauqua.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1115" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9dPTjpbIfKg/XmMeUNR6gnI/AAAAAAAAUTE/Y_fpRN2TzlIa1YryU3jhEX_seSia1RVxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1912-08-01%2BHillsboror%2BOH%2BNews_Herald%2B-%2BChatauqua.jpg" width="446" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rc-q92xCv7E/Xl_Uz-5trTI/AAAAAAAAUOY/yXXIhHozYxobClGUKX7RuRPVgRAzfa9nACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B05%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="1600" height="374" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rc-q92xCv7E/Xl_Uz-5trTI/AAAAAAAAUOY/yXXIhHozYxobClGUKX7RuRPVgRAzfa9nACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B05%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />This next photo shows the Metropolitans with a few friends enjoying a summer day at a park. Even without the context, this would be a prize example of an accidental art photograph. The arrangement of the young people, three men and seven women, reclining on the grass high above a pastoral river could easily pass as a painting. Mr. Conrad is third from the left, but the other two men are unknown, as is the woman on far left. The photographer used a type of camera which had a special door on the backside and a stylus that let him record the date and time directly onto the film negative.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">8/2-12 1.08</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0bU9BQxuLlM/Xl_U43qUGdI/AAAAAAAAUOc/OPyuJ5jmJp8xaqECFH5YvnB7Zush1CnRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B05%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1600" height="376" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0bU9BQxuLlM/Xl_U43qUGdI/AAAAAAAAUOc/OPyuJ5jmJp8xaqECFH5YvnB7Zush1CnRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B05%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Another picture of the picnic party<br />at Dixon, Ill.&nbsp; We were on<br />a high bank &amp; the background<br />shows the rock river.&nbsp; Was<br />certainly beautiful scenery<br />around there.</span></span></i></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ha-bD9rODu8/XmO0lLB5rZI/AAAAAAAAUTM/V7CZkuMZY8MxIPUv6S2L-mjFIWwbb2x1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1912-07-17%2BRacine%2BWS%2BJournal_Times%2B-%2BChatauqua.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ha-bD9rODu8/XmO0lLB5rZI/AAAAAAAAUTM/V7CZkuMZY8MxIPUv6S2L-mjFIWwbb2x1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1912-07-17%2BRacine%2BWS%2BJournal_Times%2B-%2BChatauqua.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Racine WS <i>Journal Times</i><br />17 July 1912</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />The Racine Chautauqua in July was a successful engagement for the Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra. The local newspaper praised their attractive program that their audience thought very appealing.<br /><br />The lecturer that day was a humorist named Bob Seeds, whose subject was "Mistakes of a Lifetime."<br /><br /><i>"Laugh and the world laughs with you; snore and you sleep alone." ... the audience laughed–then they laughed some more–for more than an hour and a half they laughed–one continuous rollicking round of rhapsodical hilarity. Every time Seeds opened his mouth the audience laughed; they laughed even when he was serious; they laughed when he was gay; the laughed when he spoke; they laughed when he was silent. It was one long continued laughfest–and many of the laughers are laughing yet as they see new angles and new points in the jokes and witticisms of this king of humorists...&nbsp;</i><br /><br /><i>He argued that everything has its humorous side; he urged recognition of the fitness of things and appealed to his hearers to add to the world's sunshine, not to its shadows; to increase its joys, not its sorrows–by wholesome optimism and humor.</i><br /><br />Governor Yates was on the bill the next evening. The Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra played a "prelude" concert before his speech. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A few weeks later the Metropolitans were in Dixon, Illinois for the Rock River Assembly which ran from July 27 to August 17. This event was held in a purpose built park, an "assembly," and drew thousands of patrons. In between the Metropolitans likely played a few one night concerts at small town YMCAs or churches along the route. Dixon is about 150 miles from Racine, about halfway between Chicago and Davenport, Iowa. But their next big engagement in Hillsboro, Ohio was another 450 miles east by train. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-87wHrCzUH6w/Xl_VAbQek_I/AAAAAAAAUOg/0qCd9hBh6qQSEV1tTKIVgKgFvcQ4UKXDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B06%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1183" data-original-width="1600" height="472" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-87wHrCzUH6w/Xl_VAbQek_I/AAAAAAAAUOg/0qCd9hBh6qQSEV1tTKIVgKgFvcQ4UKXDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B06%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Here in the 21st century, a few regions in the country still have regular train service, but today's rail transportation hardly compares to the vast network of railroad timetables that once connected America's communities to each other. In this next photo the six young women of the Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra sit outside on a platform next to a rail passenger car. Lettering on the caboose reads Duluth.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-afMCVx1d87g/Xl_VF3-BWXI/AAAAAAAAUOk/5FVwBSARzPE2oC7raXQ-wlJl4LdTfIw9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B06%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1126" data-original-width="1558" height="462" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-afMCVx1d87g/Xl_VF3-BWXI/AAAAAAAAUOk/5FVwBSARzPE2oC7raXQ-wlJl4LdTfIw9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B06%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>Taken during one of the num(ber of)<br />stops that freight train made<br />way from Hibbing to Ft Frances<br />see we had a regular coach t_<br />were outside most the time.</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b> </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />Duluth, Minnesota is about 480 miles north of Chicago on the western end of Lake Superior. Hibbing, MN is 80 miles beyond that, and Ft. Frances is in Ontario another 100 miles north. It's just across the border from International Falls, MN, on the other side of the Rainy River. International Falls is the town most of us recognize as often enduring the coldest wintertime temperatures in the lower 48.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AtF_lAb88WE/Xl_VMHm5U1I/AAAAAAAAUOo/lCgzzt_0cgUv7IZxB19xFFCmsGxEGBFqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B07%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="456" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AtF_lAb88WE/Xl_VMHm5U1I/AAAAAAAAUOo/lCgzzt_0cgUv7IZxB19xFFCmsGxEGBFqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B07%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />This next photo shows the six women of the Metropolitans standing outside the back of the same caboose. The sun is shining but most are wearing long wool coats. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BFykYSvhpD4/Xl_VR0T7BBI/AAAAAAAAUOs/1Vebb3AVKOAxOltRImdKyF9mFFZ56tLFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B07%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1137" data-original-width="1598" height="454" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BFykYSvhpD4/Xl_VR0T7BBI/AAAAAAAAUOs/1Vebb3AVKOAxOltRImdKyF9mFFZ56tLFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Metropolitan%2BLadies%2BOrch%2B07%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>(W)as taken on the kaboose going<br />Hibbing Minn. To Ft Frances, Ont.<br />(h)ad a regular observation plate.</i></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">They were a long way from where they started in Ohio that summer of 1912. It was now fall and there were more concerts booked for the Metropolitans. Some of them have been identified. A few not so much. But there are some clues as to who took the photos and who saved them into an album. Can you figure out who wrote the annotations?&nbsp; </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The answer will be revealed next weekend.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Stay Tuned<br />for <a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2020/03/on-tour-with-metropolitan-ladies_14.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a><br />of the adventures of <br />the Metropolitan Ladies' Orchestra.<br /><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2020/03/on-tour-with-metropolitan-ladies_14.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">&lt; click here &gt;</span></a></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/03/sepia-saturday-510-7-march-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a><br />where picnics are always a popular pastime.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/03/sepia-saturday-510-7-march-2020.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/03/sepia-saturday-510-7-march-2020.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B5S2ynFL1fw/Xkq-PaOVtaI/AAAAAAAB9Ug/T8cA7Mzgvl0p1CIPbGxufJWvL58_ljwyACKgBGAsYHg/s400/2002021z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-87476634299101303332020-02-29T13:28:00.004-05:002020-02-29T13:28:59.069-05:00Burnished Brass<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FzF-Eae3DFw/Xlh4-S0JKaI/AAAAAAAAULs/D90psbSb3XcPeGXcgGHvjxXoyooujoyjACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Brass%2Ba6%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="1400" height="634" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FzF-Eae3DFw/Xlh4-S0JKaI/AAAAAAAAULs/D90psbSb3XcPeGXcgGHvjxXoyooujoyjACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Brass%2Ba6%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's not just the blaze of sound </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">that makes brass instruments<br />so arresting in music. <br />It's also the brilliance<br />of their coils of shiny metal tubing<br />that commands attention.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Even on an overexposed photo of a brass septet,<br />the gold and silver gleam of brass <br />makes your eyes blink.</span><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u2PwuxjoXAo/Xlh5OUEsrkI/AAAAAAAAUL0/WNd0CDz221gvDDg3JLUv07Rcyrw49YA2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Brass%2BQuintet%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1467" data-original-width="1600" height="586" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u2PwuxjoXAo/Xlh5OUEsrkI/AAAAAAAAUL0/WNd0CDz221gvDDg3JLUv07Rcyrw49YA2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Brass%2BQuintet%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">To make a sound<br />requires the player's air<br />to flutter the lips into a brass mouthpiece.<br />This small vibration, <br />like the buzzing of a bumblebee,<br />resonates </span><span style="font-size: large;">round and round, <br />growing </span><span style="font-size: large;">steadily louder&nbsp; <br />until it finally escapes out the bell of the instrument.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Curiously this effect <br />looks the same <br />no matter if it's <br />a quiet melody <br />or a thundering fanfare. <br />So what dynamic is this brass quintet making?<br />Soft or loud?</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pThvioSS41o/Xlh5XFYlxlI/AAAAAAAAUL4/lGuTqy2uGb8SdcT7TKEgzIQKOB1jsEC3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/OTS%2BBrass%2BQuartet%2Btst%2BBB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pThvioSS41o/Xlh5XFYlxlI/AAAAAAAAUL4/lGuTqy2uGb8SdcT7TKEgzIQKOB1jsEC3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/OTS%2BBrass%2BQuartet%2Btst%2BBB.jpg" width="570" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">As a brass instrument's bell<br />pointedly directs the sound,<br />sometimes it aims forward<br />like cornets and trombones.<br />Sometimes upward <br />like tubas and tenor horns.<br />Less common is backwards<br />like my instrument the French horn.<br />&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">But in the 1850s-60s<br />another early configuration for brass saxhorns<br />placed the bell over the shoulder pointed backwards.<br />This let saxhorn bands march at the head of a parade<br />and still allow the troops who followed <br />to hear the tunes and feel the beat of the music. <br />This brass quartet, led by a side action rotary valve cornet,<br />has three over the shoulder horns, <br />a bass and two tenor saxhorns. <br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Brass might tarnish<br />but it won't corrode or wear away<br />like the silver on this ferrotype, aka tintype, photo.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cw6RU1LGr2w/Xlh5egAtD3I/AAAAAAAAUMA/PByo6KB5fjwJGuM5AdUAbNDWiGZaIl8HwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Brass%2Ba6%2Btst%2BBB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1110" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cw6RU1LGr2w/Xlh5egAtD3I/AAAAAAAAUMA/PByo6KB5fjwJGuM5AdUAbNDWiGZaIl8HwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Brass%2Ba6%2Btst%2BBB.jpg" width="444" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first image is of an unknown group of seven men on a simple 5 x 7 inch sepia tone print. With four standing and three kneeling they are outdoors in front of a background of trees and vines which gives the photo a very dark contrast, which I have corrected. The musicians have three cornets, a valve trombone, two types of tenor horns, and a tuba. There is a vaguely 1900-1910 American style about them, but they could be from anywhere in that time frame.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uu2E-3l99h0/Xlh5xABqk4I/AAAAAAAAUMM/qCQ13jWSWUk8KspscZX_CKTBp4vn_cimQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Brass%2BQuintet%2Btst%2BBB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1207" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uu2E-3l99h0/Xlh5xABqk4I/AAAAAAAAUMM/qCQ13jWSWUk8KspscZX_CKTBp4vn_cimQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Brass%2BQuintet%2Btst%2BBB.jpg" width="482" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The brass quintet in the second image comes from an oversize cabinet photo. It is unusual because the five musicians are posed pretending to be playing. If they were actually making a sound we would see a subtle firm pursing of their lips. These fellas are barely kissing the mouthpieces.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The group has two cornets, tenor horn, valve trombone, and tuba. The three young men in bowler hats have such a strong resemblance, I think they may be brothers.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-myOCuCtskCE/Xlh56rVNenI/AAAAAAAAUMQ/z1CKEXAR49wd-3a6XEpRaD-YpllRpuQLACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Brass%2BQuintet%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="1000" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-myOCuCtskCE/Xlh56rVNenI/AAAAAAAAUMQ/z1CKEXAR49wd-3a6XEpRaD-YpllRpuQLACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Brass%2BQuintet%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The photographer's name is embossed along the bottom of the dark green card mount. It's difficult to read so I've distorted the colors to get better contrast.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">A. Wastvedt</span></b></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Traveling Artist</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Many early photographers worked as itinerant tradesmen serving rural communities by traveling with their camera and developing equipment by horse and wagon, or sometimes via the train lines on a private rail car. At a guess by his Scandinavian surname I would place this photographer somewhere on the great prairies of Minnesota, North/South Dakota, and Montana.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jwGarb890jU/Xlh6H1h4VwI/AAAAAAAAUMY/HSWlvfrjrtEtvVLlxjpLebwVZ9ow4zbUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/OTS%2BBrass%2BQuartet%2Btst%2BRAW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="992" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jwGarb890jU/Xlh6H1h4VwI/AAAAAAAAUMY/HSWlvfrjrtEtvVLlxjpLebwVZ9ow4zbUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/OTS%2BBrass%2BQuartet%2Btst%2BRAW.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The third brass quartet appears in a rough <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tintype" target="_blank">tintype</a> photograph, more correctly called a ferrotype. It is quite small, about 2¼ inches by 3½ inches, and very dark.</span><br /> <br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">As each ferrotype photo is made by a single exposure of light to a thin silver collodion emulsion painted onto a metal sheet of iron not tin, no duplicates are possible. It also means that the image placed on the coated metal is backwards like a mirror's reflection. Left is right and right it left. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Magically the early cameras could pick up a lot of detail and with modern computer software I can easily improve the contrast and flip the image to correct the mirror effect. </span></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zq0Oq5_bwn0/Xlh6SUd2PEI/AAAAAAAAUMc/xfHLJ5POuAkAsLrfu_CEgstUiWNGm0J2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/OTS%2BBrass%2BQuartet%2Btst%2BCC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="992" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zq0Oq5_bwn0/Xlh6SUd2PEI/AAAAAAAAUMc/xfHLJ5POuAkAsLrfu_CEgstUiWNGm0J2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/OTS%2BBrass%2BQuartet%2Btst%2BCC.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Over the shoulder brass instruments were balanced on the left shoulder and the valve keys were pressed by the right hand. They remained popular with brass bands until the mid-1870s when improvements in piston valves and brass manufacturing made this cumbersome instrument obsolete.&nbsp;</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately the faces of the four musicians are scratched<br />so we can't know if they were smiling or frowning.<br />But at least their brass horns shine through the darkness. </span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/02/sepia-saturday-509-saturday-29-february.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a><br />where discussion of old photographs<br />is always taken very seriously.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/02/sepia-saturday-509-saturday-29-february.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/02/sepia-saturday-509-saturday-29-february.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kXiyLdPo24E/XknaHSMkJXI/AAAAAAAB9UI/SgNsZg82WzAPlWXTsTXHeVKf-LMuiIkegCKgBGAsYHg/s400/2001063x.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-63587260359996777312020-02-21T18:23:00.004-05:002020-02-22T09:48:30.748-05:00Music at Sea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oAGuG_MYJfc/Xk7Y7mABDMI/AAAAAAAAUJQ/QnojRVvQDgMvRFZKQOgcSrq2WAeW7yLAACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SS%2BCap%2BOrtegal%2BOrch%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1151" data-original-width="1100" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oAGuG_MYJfc/Xk7Y7mABDMI/AAAAAAAAUJQ/QnojRVvQDgMvRFZKQOgcSrq2WAeW7yLAACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/SS%2BCap%2BOrtegal%2BOrch%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="610" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Enduring the queasy vertigo <br />of <i>Mal de Mer</i> is never pleasant.<br />And fretting over a lee shore <br />during a terrible storm<br />is most unwelcome.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;">But in between these afflictions<br />there is one malady that follows <br />everyone on a sea voyage.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Boredom. </span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gqCT34Sggy0/Xk7Y_wbVM0I/AAAAAAAAUJU/V-djB_taJg0DI3MePKqcDlc-8Uw3QmjGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SS%2BCap%2BOrtegal%2BOrch%2Btst%2BE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1300" height="534" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gqCT34Sggy0/Xk7Y_wbVM0I/AAAAAAAAUJU/V-djB_taJg0DI3MePKqcDlc-8Uw3QmjGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/SS%2BCap%2BOrtegal%2BOrch%2Btst%2BE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Day after day, week after week,<br />the tedious monotony of a 360° horizon<br />quickly dampens the spirit <br />of any traveler on board a ship.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Stroll </span><span style="font-size: large;">around the deck&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: large;">a few dozen times;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">exchange pleasantries once more with fellow voyagers;<br />peruse again the shabby books <br />and dated newspapers in the library;&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">inspect the ship's menu for the nth time;<br />and contemplate the horizon <br />that never gets any closer.<br />The weary traveler soon yearns for a distraction,<br />a diversion, an a</span><span style="font-size: large;">musement,<br />or anything that might be <br />a lifebuoy of&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: large;">rescue <br />for a mind adrift in an ocean of doldrums.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Yet all was not lost <br />on a ship manned with a few musicians.<br />Their siren song of music <br />could offer the perfect remedy <br />for this sickness of the long sea voyage.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Or maybe not.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7UGeSnH0-bo/Xk7ZErHoZLI/AAAAAAAAUJY/xRg82jqdecIV0ImSLGmb_HBvgdA77eezgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SS%2BCap%2BOrtegal%2BOrch%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7UGeSnH0-bo/Xk7ZErHoZLI/AAAAAAAAUJY/xRg82jqdecIV0ImSLGmb_HBvgdA77eezgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/SS%2BCap%2BOrtegal%2BOrch%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">These eight somber musicians were members of a ocean liner's orchestra. The ensemble had one flute, two clarinets, a single violin, cello, and double bass, and two players without instruments, perhaps on piano and percussion. All wear matching livery&nbsp;uniforms in a simple style. But with eight bristly upturned mustaches, it not hard to recognize them as musicians of the German Empire before 1918.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">They were photographed on a ship's deck outside a salon with decorative glass windows. The back of the postcard has a German stamp and postmark of 25/11/12 from Altona, Germany, a borough of Hamburg on the Elbe River.&nbsp; However the photo was produced in the Republic of Argentina</span></div></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qYGOGnX7ayQ/Xk7ZI68tPEI/AAAAAAAAUJc/K7dtGRkr_mYHlKd79qaDLw_8AvmboCe-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SS%2BCap%2BOrtegal%2BOrch%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="1500" height="406" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qYGOGnX7ayQ/Xk7ZI68tPEI/AAAAAAAAUJc/K7dtGRkr_mYHlKd79qaDLw_8AvmboCe-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/SS%2BCap%2BOrtegal%2BOrch%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">It was addressed to Fritz Humert (?) of a city (unclear) in Bayern (Bavaria) from Wolfgang, dated 24.XI.12.&nbsp; Fortunately Wolfgang, who might be one of the musicians, thoughtfully added an important clue to their location along the top edge.&nbsp;</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>auf <b>S.S. Cap Ortegal</b></i><br />~<br />on the <b>S</b>team <b>S</b>hip <b>Cap Ortegal</b></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vUbpFfuq2y8/Xk7ZOAtfPzI/AAAAAAAAUJk/gr4YXprpDcUA6T-JIPHNyVJDTt_3dCm1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SS%2BCap%2BOrtegal%2BOrch%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="925" height="161" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vUbpFfuq2y8/Xk7ZOAtfPzI/AAAAAAAAUJk/gr4YXprpDcUA6T-JIPHNyVJDTt_3dCm1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/SS%2BCap%2BOrtegal%2BOrch%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />The Cap Ortegal was one of several passenger ships in the fleet of the <i>Hamburg Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft. </i>Established in 1871 from a conglomerate of merchant houses, the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg_S%C3%BCd" target="_blank">Hamburg Süd</a>, provided passenger and mail transportation services from the ports of Hamburg, Germany and Genoa, Italy to Buenos Aires, Argentina with stops in England, France, Spain, and Portugal, and sometimes Brazil. By 1914 the Cap Ortegal was one of 50 ships in the&nbsp;<i>Hamburg Südamerikanische</i> fleet.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cubrn7bMrdo/Xk7bdX135WI/AAAAAAAAUJ0/FpfiyIZxjoYCu68hqXSzVOGWcQI5zbRJACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1910%2BSteamship%2BCommunication%2Bto%2BS.%2BAmerica%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="905" height="345" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cubrn7bMrdo/Xk7bdX135WI/AAAAAAAAUJ0/FpfiyIZxjoYCu68hqXSzVOGWcQI5zbRJACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1910%2BSteamship%2BCommunication%2Bto%2BS.%2BAmerica%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1910&nbsp;Steamship Communication to South America:<br />Reports from Consular Officers of the United States<br />Source: <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=5ncQazLdDr0C&amp;pg=PA36&amp;lpg=PA36&amp;dq=%22Cap+Ortegal%22+Steamship+Line+Hamburg+Buenos+Aires&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=7-biWUxNsI&amp;sig=ACfU3U0691sNeZGz0bF6jfHdNADUXycC2Q&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiR2Nynn9_nAhXkguAKHa1jAHIQ6AEwAXoECC8QAQ#v=onepage&amp;q=%22Cap%20Ortegal%22%20&amp;f=false" target="_blank">Google Books</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />There were Hamburg Süd ships leaving roughly once every week for a one-way trip to Buenos Aires of 6,646 nautical miles or 7,648 miles. When it was commissioned in April 1904, the&nbsp;<a href="https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&amp;sl=de&amp;u=https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cap_Ortegal_(Schiff,_1904)&amp;prev=search" target="_blank">Cap Ortegal</a>&nbsp; at 7,818 tons was a modestly large passenger ship for its time. Its top speed was rated at 13.5 knots which allowed it to make the one-way trip from Europe to South America in roughly 21 to 26 days depending on ports of call, currents, and weather.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KN75Bj0q72s/Xk7bhlhCCnI/AAAAAAAAUJ4/GEmEdBfPQGYAqsAkIvTJ48sRIyrQdWmTQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1910%2BSteamship%2BCommunication%2Bto%2BS.%2BAmerica%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="903" height="498" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KN75Bj0q72s/Xk7bhlhCCnI/AAAAAAAAUJ4/GEmEdBfPQGYAqsAkIvTJ48sRIyrQdWmTQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1910%2BSteamship%2BCommunication%2Bto%2BS.%2BAmerica%2B2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1910&nbsp;Steamship Communication to South America:<br />Reports from Consular Officers of the United States<br />Source:&nbsp;<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=5ncQazLdDr0C&amp;pg=PA36&amp;lpg=PA36&amp;dq=%22Cap+Ortegal%22+Steamship+Line+Hamburg+Buenos+Aires&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=7-biWUxNsI&amp;sig=ACfU3U0691sNeZGz0bF6jfHdNADUXycC2Q&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiR2Nynn9_nAhXkguAKHa1jAHIQ6AEwAXoECC8QAQ#v=onepage&amp;q=%22Cap%20Ortegal%22%20&amp;f=false" target="_blank">Google Books</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />The <a href="https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&amp;sl=de&amp;u=https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cap_Ortegal_(Schiff,_1904)&amp;prev=search" target="_blank">Cap Ortegal</a> was 134.4 meters (441 feet) in length and 16 meters (52.5 feet) in width. It offered accommodation to 164 passengers in first-class cabins, 94 in second-class, and 338 in third-class berths. The crew comprised 129 men, presumably counting every rank from first officer to coal stoker and the eight musicians in the orchestra. Power was supplied by two triple expansion steam machines developing&nbsp;4200 hp to spin two propellers. It's interesting that in newspaper and magazine reports of the era of steamships, the description of ocean liners always included detailed specs on the engineering and machinery. Whether this was driven by an interest from the travel consumers or because of the fleet manufacturer's self-promotion is not clear, but it meant that the public always had ample information to compare ships. Reviewers wrote about vibration, steadiness, and speed with lengthy descriptions on the artful design of woodwork, upholstery, and social amenities. Of course this was aimed primarily at upper class travelers.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s9nLQKY4Taw/Xk7bqVpdHLI/AAAAAAAAUJ8/K0xhuu1BVPseIurRmPCNBAfz4nwFTh5bgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SS%2BCap%2BOrtegal%2B1906%2BAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1246" height="408" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s9nLQKY4Taw/Xk7bqVpdHLI/AAAAAAAAUJ8/K0xhuu1BVPseIurRmPCNBAfz4nwFTh5bgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/SS%2BCap%2BOrtegal%2B1906%2BAA.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />This next postcard shows the <b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">S.S.&nbsp;„Cap Ortegal“</span></b> in a colored profile&nbsp;illustration of the ship cruising through the ocean waves. From the message along the bottom border, it was sent on 14.1.06 — 14 January 1906, just a year and a half since its maiden voyage to Argentina. Looking like a seagull, a small X mark over the bridge may show where the writer's cabin is. Written in French along the top edge are the coordinates for where the ship was that day, Latitude North 25°26', Longitude West 17°35'. This places the Cap Ortegal 200 miles south of Tenerife in the Canary Islands off the west coast of North Africa.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Orx_ovrD7g/Xk7bvMQn3BI/AAAAAAAAUKE/LQfKEmf0tegI2yvYWUfdlWUJ-40ZjVqtACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/25.26.00.0N%2B-%2B17.35.00.0W.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="923" height="352" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Orx_ovrD7g/Xk7bvMQn3BI/AAAAAAAAUKE/LQfKEmf0tegI2yvYWUfdlWUJ-40ZjVqtACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/25.26.00.0N%2B-%2B17.35.00.0W.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The postcard was addressed to someone in Paris but it has a German stamp and three cancellations, one from Montevideo,&nbsp;Uruguay. That means the writer was on an outward bound voyage with the postcard being dropped off in Uruguay before the Cap Ortegal reached Buenos Aires.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8_rbLzrUWjQ/Xk7b1QggeBI/AAAAAAAAUKM/tVKql8w802QN0ztNTd-QWp6IowYma5t1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SS%2BCap%2BOrtegal%2B1906%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1253" height="408" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8_rbLzrUWjQ/Xk7b1QggeBI/AAAAAAAAUKM/tVKql8w802QN0ztNTd-QWp6IowYma5t1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/SS%2BCap%2BOrtegal%2B1906%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Passenger steamships like the Cap Ortegal could take on some smaller cargo, but they were&nbsp; designed mainly for speed that would transport people and the mail as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Not surprisingly a postcard in this era served a more practical purpose as a cheap way to let the folks at home know that the traveler had arrived safely. Cards and letters written on board would be left at each port of call and picked up by the next ship returning to the home port.<br /><br />The eight musicians of the Cap Ortegal's orchestra are likely German, but might be German-Argentinians too. Passenger liners did not spend more than a few days in a destination port before returning, so some of the crew and musicians may have made Buenos Aires their home.<br /><br />The ship's "orchestra" was really just a chamber ensemble engaged to entertain the patrons. They likely had no maritime training, and probably were hired as seasonal or itinerant workers with no long term contract. Their performances were typically scheduled around meal times like many similar musical groups that played in German cafes or restaurants. On occasion they may have played for dances or for the folks in third-class. I don't know what kind of repertoire an ensemble like this would play. Undoubtedly they used arrangements adapted for this odd collection of instruments. Given the multinational clientele on board the ship, the concerts likely were not just German music but French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Brazilian, and Argentinian songs and dances. The better bands surely knew thousands of pieces by heart. But the worst groups would have played a small repetitive set of music that did little to relieve a traveler's affliction of boredom on the sea. <br /><br />The next postcard&nbsp;image shows the interior of the Cap Ortegal's <i>Speisesalon</i> - Dining Salon. There are no people in the picture, just empty chairs and tables, but it displays an elegant style suitable for the first-class passengers. I imagine at one end there was a performing platform for the musicians with room for a small piano and drum set.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z8KF4fvOAFo/Xk82zIvAcII/AAAAAAAAUKk/DEOfZ4PyTFcC2Az9O7eplh9hOQxjJC5swCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Cap%2BOrtegal%2BSpeisesalon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1579" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z8KF4fvOAFo/Xk82zIvAcII/AAAAAAAAUKk/DEOfZ4PyTFcC2Az9O7eplh9hOQxjJC5swCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Cap%2BOrtegal%2BSpeisesalon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />In this era before 1914-18 a globetrotting holiday was becoming a fashionable idea in the magazines, but few ordinary people could actually afford it. I don't think South America was then a major tourist destination, but it was definitely a place that had a lot to offer if you had an interest in commodities like coffee, grain, beef, timber, and cotton. Most of the travelers at sea on ships like the Cap Ortegal were traveling for business. The world of international trade needed salesmen, agents, managers, engineers, financiers, etc. to handle the business interests of import-export firms. And all these people traveled by ship moving along established sea lanes between the continents.<br /><br />Businessmen needed to talk about the financial news of the day, so newspaper digests catering to each language were published for sea-going travelers. For English speakers it was <i>The Brazilian Review</i> printed in Rio de Janeiro. The weekly shipping reports listed all the ships arriving with their nationality and previous port of call, followed by a list of all the ships departing, giving the name of their ultimate destination. In 1909, the Cap Ortegal was one of 52 ships arriving in Rio during the week of August 7 - 13, and it did not even stay overnight, as it left the same day. Among the many small schooners and barques, are 30 steamships over 1,000 tons. The Cap Ortegal was one of the largest. If even half of those passenger liners were supplied with some kind of musical ensemble, then extrapolating for the entire Atlantic, that's a lot of music afloat.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KPLGY9jVmis/Xk9KCNlB0RI/AAAAAAAAUKs/FAQYEL8EaxIW3JwlWVMaRe7VBXRXU1_vACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1909-08-17%2BThe%2BBrazilian%2BReview%2B-%2BRio%2Bde%2BJaneiro%2Bship%2Barrivals.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="664" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KPLGY9jVmis/Xk9KCNlB0RI/AAAAAAAAUKs/FAQYEL8EaxIW3JwlWVMaRe7VBXRXU1_vACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1909-08-17%2BThe%2BBrazilian%2BReview%2B-%2BRio%2Bde%2BJaneiro%2Bship%2Barrivals.JPG" width="472" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Brazilian Review<br />17 August 1909</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Just a few pages before the shipping report, was some local news from Rio De Janeiro that caught my attention. The Director-General of Public Health had released a mortality list for Rio itemized by disease. as of August 8th, 1909:</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Yellow Fever, 0; bubonic plague, 0; smallpox, 1; measles, 1; scarlet fever, 0; whooping cough, 0; diphtheria, 0; influenza, 7; typhoid fever, 1; dysentery, 2; beriberi, 0; leprosy, 0; erysipelas, 0; marsh fevers, 3; pulmonary diseases, 64.&nbsp; Total deaths from all causes 250, equal to an annual rate of 20.46 per thousand inhabitants. Mortality of infectious diseases to total number of deaths, 32.40 per cent. Under treatment in hospitals: Yellow fever, 0; smallpox, 19; bubonic plague, 0; under observation, 10.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OHlBb4GAD3w/Xk9LQDLP5VI/AAAAAAAAUK0/IOYgsl1m9DwPoc7erKpYL9Zku3RwZdNWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1909-08-17%2BThe%2BBrazilian%2BReview%2B-%2BLocal%2BItems.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="671" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OHlBb4GAD3w/Xk9LQDLP5VI/AAAAAAAAUK0/IOYgsl1m9DwPoc7erKpYL9Zku3RwZdNWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1909-08-17%2BThe%2BBrazilian%2BReview%2B-%2BLocal%2BItems.JPG" width="571" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Brazilian Review<br />17 August 1909</td></tr></tbody></table>Compared to our jet-set lives in the 21st century, the world of 1909 had many more things to worry about. The notion of quarantining a ship's passengers and crew was the standard method of preventing an outbreak of contagious disease for centuries. It usually worked, though not always to the benefit of those on board the ship. Now with the recent epidemic of deadly pulmonary illness in China, humans must learn new rules of life and death.<br /><br /><br />This next sepia tone postcard of the Cap Ortegal is a photo but has no postmark. It probably dates from around 1913-14.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pltrDcgNJtQ/Xk7b84TqoqI/AAAAAAAAUKU/6HvV6bsIdLcJW8HFqfCPeQF2TifqLhyRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SS%2BCap%2BOrtegal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1258" height="404" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pltrDcgNJtQ/Xk7b84TqoqI/AAAAAAAAUKU/6HvV6bsIdLcJW8HFqfCPeQF2TifqLhyRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/SS%2BCap%2BOrtegal.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The S.S. Cap Ortegal served the sea route from Hamburg to Buenos Aires from 1904 to 1914. At the outbreak of the great war, it took refuge in Tenerife in the Canary Islands, which being part of Spain, was a neutral port. It remained there until 1919 when it was handed over to France as part of the German war reparations. Renamed the <b>Chambord</b>, it was refitted with many more cheaper berths, likely for migrant Asian laborers, and in 1922 began passenger service to French Indochina, Madagascar, and French possessions in the Indian Ocean. It was retired and sold for scrap in 1932.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Imagine the number of times <br />people waved as the ship left the docks.<br /><i>Gute Reise! <br />Buen viaje!&nbsp; <br />Bon Voyage!</i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Can you hear the orchestra? <i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>* * *</b></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">For a British contrast,<br />check out my story from May 2019:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-ships-orchestra.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">The Ship's Orchestra</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/02/sepia-saturday-508-saturday-22-february.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a><br />where everyone's trying to rearrange the deck chairs.</b></div><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/goog_1421297697"><br /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/02/sepia-saturday-508-saturday-22-february.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/02/sepia-saturday-508-saturday-22-february.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-32pcGuiTgS8/XknXKvzgMTI/AAAAAAAB9TA/2ggar1VVJtwgHPeg1nUEjO7f28XFYIzVACKgBGAsYHg/s400/2001062x.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-71045572751550785782020-02-15T21:42:00.000-05:002020-02-16T08:14:30.593-05:00Music at the Coliseum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uR-xtcWv-NQ/Xkb_muZ23EI/AAAAAAAAUFs/q8y5CZtnmQAq2V6Mi6MDv57GPUUMlN-eACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B3%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="1600" height="498" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uR-xtcWv-NQ/Xkb_muZ23EI/AAAAAAAAUFs/q8y5CZtnmQAq2V6Mi6MDv57GPUUMlN-eACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B3%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"Say there, Bill. Isn't that Miss Annie from finance?"</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"Mother, do you think the band might play <br />'Violette' if Father asked the director?"</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br />"Waiter! Where's my soup?"</span></span><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ub-w3OK80_I/XkcnpdOEPvI/AAAAAAAAUF0/gzxziiQTJQsoSYPQnBioSf5tcf9U84zfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B1%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="1362" height="484" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ub-w3OK80_I/XkcnpdOEPvI/AAAAAAAAUF0/gzxziiQTJQsoSYPQnBioSf5tcf9U84zfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B1%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"Oh, Judith,&nbsp; you should have been here <br />in May for the flower show."</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"What's that? I can't hear over the band."</span></span> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"Waiter, this is the wrong soup. <br />I ordered the green turtle!"</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gKXPyzwRdro/XkcnvxXlJpI/AAAAAAAAUF4/If7YpWVViaIljvL3CsxBI4rzOjtH9G6VACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B2%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1261" data-original-width="1600" height="504" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gKXPyzwRdro/XkcnvxXlJpI/AAAAAAAAUF4/If7YpWVViaIljvL3CsxBI4rzOjtH9G6VACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B2%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"Tuesday I'm off to Kalamazoo, Wednesday is Ann Arbor,<br />Thursday Detroit, and then if sales go well, <br />back to Toledo on Friday."</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"Yeah, this band's okay if you like that Italian opera stuff.<br />But give me Sousa any day."</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">"Waiter, this soup is cold!"</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Exchanges like these must have been heard a million times in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Coliseum" target="_blank">Chicago Coliseum</a>. It was a big place in the heart of bustling great city, only a short walk from Chicago's train stations, and close to its business and theater districts. For many people, both natives and visitors, postcards of its crenelated castle walls were a popular means of communicating that they'd been to the Windy City, "be home soon."<br /><br />The Coliseum was the largest venue of its type in Chicago. It was built in 1899 by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_F._Gunther" target="_blank">Charles F. Gunther</a> (1837-1920) a German-American confectioner whose caramel candy made him a very rich man. Gunther used his wealth to indulge a hobby of collecting Civil War memorabilia.<br /><br />In 1889 he purchased the infamous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libby_Prison" target="_blank">Libby Prison</a> in Richmond, Virginia, which was used to house hundreds of Union Army officers during the war. Gunther had this old warehouse building, 140 feet wide and 100 feet deep, disassembled brick-by-brick, shipped to Chicago on 132 railroad cars, and then rebuilt to house his museum of the Civil War. Though his collection included the table where General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House, and President Lincoln's deathbed, he exhibited many other curiosities unrelated to the war. By 1897 the public's fascination with the war and the weird had waned, so Gunther decided to take down his prison museum and build on the site a&nbsp; new convention arena for Chicago. He was also exploiting a terrible fire that in 1897&nbsp;destroyed an earlier Chicago Coliseum located in another part of the city.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WDy15KxO8D4/Xkh74nvVRkI/AAAAAAAAUHo/dAUxCxJsz5orqFuYrbJdpOFUIxeWI1TqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Libby_Prison%252C_Richmond%252C_05-1865_-_NARA_-_533454.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="918" height="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WDy15KxO8D4/Xkh74nvVRkI/AAAAAAAAUHo/dAUxCxJsz5orqFuYrbJdpOFUIxeWI1TqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Libby_Prison%252C_Richmond%252C_05-1865_-_NARA_-_533454.tif" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Libby Prison ,1865, Richmond, VA<br />Source: Wikimedia</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />The first colorized image shows the arena's interior when set up as the Coliseum Gardens. Hundreds of people sit around tables with waiters hovering nearby. A water fountain splashes in the center and along the far wall is a band stand dressed up as a Grecian temple. Along the message border is a caption.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ChJ147KDUeQ/XkcoD8Kt1KI/AAAAAAAAUGI/Vythc0tEsWc1C4cPxGkj7XAl6na3EA1mgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B3%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="993" data-original-width="1600" height="396" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ChJ147KDUeQ/XkcoD8Kt1KI/AAAAAAAAUGI/Vythc0tEsWc1C4cPxGkj7XAl6na3EA1mgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B3%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Largest in the World Under Roof, <br />Seats for Six Thousand.<br />Chicago ___<i><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><u>Oct 17</u></span>_</i>__ 1906</span></span></b><br /><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Coliseum Garden, <br />Where Ellery's Royal Italian Band = Ferullo, Leader<br />Gave a twelve week's Season of Concerts.<br />I heard them five or six times</span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">It was sent to Miss Louisa K. Antrim <br />of Merchantville, New York<br />but has no stamp or cancellation.</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YaMZN5n2WQs/XkcoIvZOfFI/AAAAAAAAUGQ/z1i6Fqr0eCQrlLWg92PQU3_HwRhtsxwOACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B3%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="1500" height="390" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YaMZN5n2WQs/XkcoIvZOfFI/AAAAAAAAUGQ/z1i6Fqr0eCQrlLWg92PQU3_HwRhtsxwOACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B3%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />With different seating arrangements the old Chicago Coliseum could go from 6,000 to 12,000 patrons. Many sporting events were held in the Coliseum. And countless trade shows took over its floor space displaying the latest industrial equipment, the newest automobiles, or the future of household appliances. Beginning in 1904 it hosted five consecutive Republican Party National Conventions.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fpmBC2NUXaI/Xkh2CyUSGrI/AAAAAAAAUHg/E84D80BkVHcU-0oTx01MSvT7jukq4oYHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Republican_National_Convention_1912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1520" height="454" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fpmBC2NUXaI/Xkh2CyUSGrI/AAAAAAAAUHg/E84D80BkVHcU-0oTx01MSvT7jukq4oYHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Republican_National_Convention_1912.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of Chicago Coliseum<br />during 1912 Republican National Convention<br />Source: LOC</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The castle walls were the only part of Gunther's Civil War museum to remain in the new structure which was scheduled to open in 1900. It's penitentiary-like appearance led to a mistaken belief that the huge Coliseum had once actually imprisoned Union soldiers. Spreading fake news is nothing new. My second image came from another postcard showing off the Coliseum's distinctive facade.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-824skoVNfIs/Xkcn2kYlhSI/AAAAAAAAUF8/Y3Xsys15-yIeDVqgMEgeAli9hdX8l9nfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B1%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="994" data-original-width="1600" height="396" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-824skoVNfIs/Xkcn2kYlhSI/AAAAAAAAUF8/Y3Xsys15-yIeDVqgMEgeAli9hdX8l9nfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B1%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The message reads:<br /><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Dear Annie –<br />The place where I was at<br />last Sunday to hear Ellery Band</span></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">find (?) 676 East 63rd Place<br />&nbsp;</span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Miss Weber<br />Write me soon<br />as I may go to<br />California.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">The postcard was sent on September 14, 1904 <br />to Miss Annie Marie P. Bundy<br />c/o the Piano Studio&nbsp;of Topeka, Kansas.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's rare to get ephemera with a trail of provenance.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">As stamped on the back, <br />years later&nbsp;Annie donated her postcard <br />to the Topeka Public Library.<br />When the library no longer wanted it in their collection,<br />an antique dealer picked it up, leaving a note of its topics,<br />and then sold it to me on eBay.<br />The rest is history.</span></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ooZwle2Ck94/Xkcn6_rvmpI/AAAAAAAAUGA/eSK0xfL6k-UFel5GiSw_ekh05mWvV9DjACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B1%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="1400" height="398" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ooZwle2Ck94/Xkcn6_rvmpI/AAAAAAAAUGA/eSK0xfL6k-UFel5GiSw_ekh05mWvV9DjACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B1%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />In 1929 the much larger Chicago Stadium was built with 18,000 seats&nbsp;to handle sporting events like hockey and basketball. Then in 1934 the 9,000 seat International Amphitheater opened for conventions, hosting both Democratic and Republican presidential conventions from 1952 to 1968. This diminished the bookings at the old Coliseum, and the district around the arena became rundown. In the 60s and early 70s it became the Chicago concert venue for rock bands. Finally in March 1971, the Coliseum was closed for fire code violations. It never reopened for public shows and in 1982 was slated for redevelopment and partially demolished. However parts of the original exterior battlements remained until the 1990s when a section of Gunther's Libby Prison facade was preserved for the Chicago History Museum.<br /><br />Yet in its golden years of the first two decades of the 20th century the Chicago Coliseum was THE PLACE to to go for events of all kinds, especially concerts of wind bands not utilizing electric amplification. And one band in particular got its name advertised on many Coliseum postcards from this era—<b>The Ellery Band.</b><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b3YHDjH29Po/XkcoPi8iAdI/AAAAAAAAUGY/DhgexkAZTaEAeW-aWrfDAd3ATDQE741KgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B2%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1026" data-original-width="1600" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b3YHDjH29Po/XkcoPi8iAdI/AAAAAAAAUGY/DhgexkAZTaEAeW-aWrfDAd3ATDQE741KgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B2%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The postmark is unclear, <br />September 15, maybe 1906-08?<br />Sent from Wisconsin <br />to Miss Helen Bobolz (?)<br />in Chicago<br /><br /><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Dear Helen<br />Ma wants you to<br />come home Saturday<br />night. We are <br />very busy in the corn<br />and want you to <br />come home. Don't<br />forget to bring<br />me something home<br />Brother Erich</span></i></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CNzTjwcoFg4/XkcoU0HZ7GI/AAAAAAAAUGg/o-yY9irLLWATcSTQl7zItqFsR5cJ8LhGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B2%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1600" height="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CNzTjwcoFg4/XkcoU0HZ7GI/AAAAAAAAUGg/o-yY9irLLWATcSTQl7zItqFsR5cJ8LhGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chicago%2BColiseum%2B2%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />The Coliseum Gardens were <i>always cool and delightful</i>, as advertised in the Chicago newspapers. In August 1905 the Ellery Band under Band Director Ferullo performed two concerts daily. In the afternoon the band played overtures to "Poet and Peasant" and "Faust"; music from "Boehian Girl" and "Manon Lescaut"; Chopin's Funeral March; etc.&nbsp; In the evening it was Mozart's "Gloria"; "Organ Offertory"; and "Hymn to the Sun".&nbsp; <i>Admission was 25 cents. No higher. Catering by Edelweiss Garden Management.</i><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wH9KGc12n90/Xkda1Qm8fQI/AAAAAAAAUHI/akalGfrvea0Kuo1zBx9kFrrrCxqJjXxOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1905-08-06%2BChicago_Tribune%2B-%2BEB%2Badvert.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="641" height="397" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wH9KGc12n90/Xkda1Qm8fQI/AAAAAAAAUHI/akalGfrvea0Kuo1zBx9kFrrrCxqJjXxOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1905-08-06%2BChicago_Tribune%2B-%2BEB%2Badvert.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicago Tribune<br />6 August 1905</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />The Ellery Band's director was a handsome Italian musician named Signor Francesco Ferullo. His photo made a dashing advertisement of the band.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1cR8f9CyQ6s/XkdX4vuH34I/AAAAAAAAUGw/J-YexJEPXakU4Yx_F8Jpg4czlAqOTmidACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1904-10-12%2BAppleton%2BWS%2BPost_Crescent%2B-%2BEllery%2527s%2BRIB%2BFerullo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1166" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1cR8f9CyQ6s/XkdX4vuH34I/AAAAAAAAUGw/J-YexJEPXakU4Yx_F8Jpg4czlAqOTmidACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1904-10-12%2BAppleton%2BWS%2BPost_Crescent%2B-%2BEllery%2527s%2BRIB%2BFerullo.jpg" width="466" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Appleton WI <i>Post Crescent</i><br />12 October 1904</td></tr></tbody></table><br />A native of Naples, Italy, Ferullo trained as an oboist at the famous Naples Royal Conservatoire. At age 18 he joined the San Carlo Opera orchestra where he played for 3 years before being recruited in 1901 to play solo oboe in the Ellery Royal Italian Band. After his arrival in America he toured with the band for hundreds of concerts, often being listed as oboe soloist for tunes taken from popular Italian operas.<br /><br />In 1904 the band director then, Maestro Chiaffarelli, resigned due to ill health. Trading his oboe for a baton, the young Francesco Ferullo took over the duties of band leader. Despite a small stature, his musical gyrations and animated, often gymnastic, movements on the podium proved a big hit and the Ellery Band became celebrated across the country for its exciting renditions of music from Italian, German, and French operas. The band had over 50 musicians and performed in nearly every major city on both the east and west coasts, as well as a 10 to 12 week run at the Chicago Coliseum.<br /><br />In the summer of 1905, his Ellery Band was competing with the Imperial Italian Band of Emilio Rivela performing at nearby Rivinia Park in Chicago. Maestro Rivela was another Italian band leader hired to lead the Ellery Band before Chiaffarelli. The band actually had several directors and every one had a splendid mustache.&nbsp; Rivela's was reputed to be over 12 inches long uncurled.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WPVTrGyzZSw/XkdbaomxrQI/AAAAAAAAUHQ/gaefCUOggMMOc64_fkVxFi7kDkqcraCmACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1905-08-07%2BChicago%2BInter_Ocean%2B-%2BEB%2Badvert.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="647" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WPVTrGyzZSw/XkdbaomxrQI/AAAAAAAAUHQ/gaefCUOggMMOc64_fkVxFi7kDkqcraCmACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1905-08-07%2BChicago%2BInter_Ocean%2B-%2BEB%2Badvert.JPG" width="376" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicago <i>Inter Ocean</i><br />7 August 1905</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Ferullo's band was sometimes called the Royal Italian Band as all the bandsmen were indeed Italian, but the "royal" part was made up and had nothing to do with the King of Italy. More often it was called the Ellery Band, or just Ellery's Band, both linked to Channing Ellery, an American music impresario who loved Italian music and musicians. From 1895 until his death in 1917, Channing Ellery imported hundreds of Italian band musicians to play in a band of his own creation. Though he studied to be an opera singer, Ellery's only musical talent was as a whistler. He did not play any band instrument. Instead he used an inherited personal fortune that allowed him to finance a musical organization that would introduce America to the music he most admired, the music of the great Italian composers, Donizetti, Verdi, Puccini, etc.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EQh6_3XQ8PA/XkdaaTfBWlI/AAAAAAAAUHA/YhtAIu-xFME9JXGrYWkxVY2VTk7o4H31gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1906-03-24%2BAlbuquerque%2BNM%2BJournal%2B-%2BEB%2BChanning%2BEllery%2BPIC%2B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="974" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EQh6_3XQ8PA/XkdaaTfBWlI/AAAAAAAAUHA/YhtAIu-xFME9JXGrYWkxVY2VTk7o4H31gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1906-03-24%2BAlbuquerque%2BNM%2BJournal%2B-%2BEB%2BChanning%2BEllery%2BPIC%2B.jpg" width="388" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Albuquerque NM <i>Journal</i><br />24 March 1906</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">For more details on Channing Ellery <br />and his many Italian bandmasters, <br />please check out my post from August 2019. <br /><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2019/08/an-atlantic-city-love-story-part-2.html" target="_blank">An Atlantic City Love Story, part 2</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">1906 proved to be a big year <br />in the career of Francesco Ferullo.<br />For one thing he got married in June.&nbsp;</span></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FdhifgIOQzk/Xkdbtwv-8tI/AAAAAAAAUHY/hYAhWpm8HcUFOr-FlKj44bUGUNKviu3fwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1906-06-14%2BAlbuquerque_Citizen%2B-%2BMrs%2BFerullo%2BPIC%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="950" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FdhifgIOQzk/Xkdbtwv-8tI/AAAAAAAAUHY/hYAhWpm8HcUFOr-FlKj44bUGUNKviu3fwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1906-06-14%2BAlbuquerque_Citizen%2B-%2BMrs%2BFerullo%2BPIC%2BD.jpg" width="568" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Albuquerque NM <i>Citizen</i><br />14 June 1906</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">His bride was a beauty from Kansas City, Missouri.<br />Her father was a wealthy businessman.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The announcement made all the newspapers.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It was a familiar story.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Stay tuned for more about<br />Mr. and Mrs. Ferullo.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/02/sepia-saturday-507-15th-february-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a><br />where everyone is still waiting for the check.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/02/sepia-saturday-507-15th-february-2020.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/02/sepia-saturday-507-15th-february-2020.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4w-qZ1vw8AY/Xjwrmf_KiDI/AAAAAAAB9Aw/C_Vohtgv8Hg1RuvZKZwZFriMHmWhbMRvwCKgBGAsYHg/s400/2001061x.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-53986547646306420032020-02-08T12:34:00.001-05:002020-02-08T16:40:31.369-05:00Music on the Wing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x8aHOcMG74U/Xj2-YTgI6VI/AAAAAAAAUDg/vr99MFBH06Yxz8t3YD5GOyZgwLXJ69ETgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Swiss%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="950" height="528" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x8aHOcMG74U/Xj2-YTgI6VI/AAAAAAAAUDg/vr99MFBH06Yxz8t3YD5GOyZgwLXJ69ETgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Swiss%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's been a human desire<br />since the dawn of time.<br />A universal dream of mankind<br />that always seemed impossible<br />until suddenly it became possible.<br />A wonder so amazingly achievable that <br />even young boys might do it.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PLrAu4Z4ZfI/Xj2-t1ITRZI/AAAAAAAAUDs/LCSvhw3OYgUKIpbYqsBl6vCRt-rQHNPjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Harzer%2BDamen%2BOrch%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1400" height="306" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PLrAu4Z4ZfI/Xj2-t1ITRZI/AAAAAAAAUDs/LCSvhw3OYgUKIpbYqsBl6vCRt-rQHNPjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Harzer%2BDamen%2BOrch%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">And if two children <br />then why not more?<br />Perhaps a sextet <br />of female musicians,<br />with chaperones too,<br />could experience this new marvel.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lxidtIs3X_c/Xj2-psaydNI/AAAAAAAAUDo/9cwd4z7DjTUlMmowqfH5O0v7OZke4y3cACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Happy%2BNew%2BYear%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1487" data-original-width="1469" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lxidtIs3X_c/Xj2-psaydNI/AAAAAAAAUDo/9cwd4z7DjTUlMmowqfH5O0v7OZke4y3cACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Happy%2BNew%2BYear%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="632" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It was a triumph of human invention.<br />What was once absurd to imagine<br />was now so believable <br />that any man, woman, or child,<br />or even all three, <br />could indulge in the dream.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">What was this dream turned real?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Human flight.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7xidXBw_XnU/Xj2-_-Fv_nI/AAAAAAAAUD4/IC0Ev3pAIXQPOCW83Cqegxl215ljFwY4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Swiss%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="1600" height="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7xidXBw_XnU/Xj2-_-Fv_nI/AAAAAAAAUD4/IC0Ev3pAIXQPOCW83Cqegxl215ljFwY4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Swiss%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span id="goog_785460143"></span><span id="goog_785460144"></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first two lads sit apprehensively <br />in a flimsy painted canvas monoplane<br />that seems to be flying high above <br />a body of water while<br />looking down on a great metropolis. <br />The city is Zurich, identified alongside <br />the photographer's name <i>Photo-Rapid</i> in the lower corner.<br />The words <i>Gesetzl. geschützt</i>. means VAT. protected,<br />an apt phrase for a Swiss postcard.<br />Above the logo is the northern outflow<br /> of Lake Zürich or <i>Zürichsee</i><br />beginning the Limmat River .</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rudolf sent this card on 21 November 1911.<br />I think he may be one of the boys.</span></div>&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4KiDth0UQD4/Xj2_EKTjBII/AAAAAAAAUD8/bQEcsxftl7YVntg18uJauTqV736RVPLDQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Swiss%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="1500" height="419" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4KiDth0UQD4/Xj2_EKTjBII/AAAAAAAAUD8/bQEcsxftl7YVntg18uJauTqV736RVPLDQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Swiss%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IdPq-KNBER4/Xj2_IZociQI/AAAAAAAAUEA/2bGaJ3r5jRgmLHD-t0tkJSn4dFnFggGyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Harzer%2BDamen%2BOrch%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1600" height="398" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IdPq-KNBER4/Xj2_IZociQI/AAAAAAAAUEA/2bGaJ3r5jRgmLHD-t0tkJSn4dFnFggGyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Harzer%2BDamen%2BOrch%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The second image comes from another postcard<br />depicting a similar imitation single-wing monoplane.<br />Seated comfortably in the plane's fake fuselage<br />are the <i>Harzer Damen-Orchester,</i> <br />a German ladies orchestra, <br />of six women directed by Herr Herman Ernst,<br />who looks as if he is standing on the far wing. <br />Painted on the side is a name, <b><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">Rumpler – Taube</span></b>.<br /><i>Taube </i>is German for pigeon, <br />and Rumpler was <br />an early German manufacturer of airplanes. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like Rudolf and his young friend flying over Zurich <br />these musical ladies and gentleman, with their stalwart pilot,<br />are airborne above a sizeable town on a river. <br />This is Heidelberg, Germany on the Neckar River.<br />The postmark date is 6 July 1913 <br />sent from Heidelberg.<br />There is also an imprint <br />for the Odeon-Palace in Heidelberg<br />which is presumably where <br />Herr Ernst and his orchestra were performing.</span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XptUpC-WM_I/Xj2_L_j8HsI/AAAAAAAAUEE/PaDB9E_uLHoQ6tBPKzmPchGBElFGTQIVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Harzer%2BDamen%2BOrch%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="1500" height="398" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XptUpC-WM_I/Xj2_L_j8HsI/AAAAAAAAUEE/PaDB9E_uLHoQ6tBPKzmPchGBElFGTQIVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Harzer%2BDamen%2BOrch%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V4EPJ7j8ylU/Xj2_P-D536I/AAAAAAAAUEM/AcKXuS7k8ismqzY-ypvfleYXKt6dXNXQACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Happy%2BNew%2BYear%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1047" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V4EPJ7j8ylU/Xj2_P-D536I/AAAAAAAAUEM/AcKXuS7k8ismqzY-ypvfleYXKt6dXNXQACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Happy%2BNew%2BYear%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="418" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The third colorful image <br />comes from another Swiss postcard<br />which shows a cartoon of a happy family <br />in an open Wright brothers style biplane</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">high above a snow covered town</span>. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mother and father toast the new year, <i>Bonne année,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">while seated precariously on the nose flap<br />is baby, perhaps the designated pilot,<br />wearing cupid's wings <br />and holding a bow and quiver of arrows. <br /><br />This card's postmark is dated 29 December 1911<br />from La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland,<br />a city famous for its watch makers.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hH_QdZol0_g/Xj2_Up_aLDI/AAAAAAAAUEQ/ADC_Oc1LvZAWaO5CBjS8XaJfmyNqvII3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Happy%2BNew%2BYear%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="921" data-original-width="1400" height="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hH_QdZol0_g/Xj2_Up_aLDI/AAAAAAAAUEQ/ADC_Oc1LvZAWaO5CBjS8XaJfmyNqvII3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Happy%2BNew%2BYear%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9TLby1hclo8/Xj3AN8JdF4I/AAAAAAAAUE8/gTiiWI47V9c40RKKhI3Yh-a4WDYXuS04QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Paris%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BCC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="1139" height="558" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9TLby1hclo8/Xj3AN8JdF4I/AAAAAAAAUE8/gTiiWI47V9c40RKKhI3Yh-a4WDYXuS04QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Paris%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BCC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Wilbur and Orville Wright made their first successful attempt at powered flight in a double wing machine on December 17, 1903 over the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Over the next two years they worked on improvements to their design, but made no flights in 1906 or 1907.&nbsp; By 1908 the brothers had enough confidence in their biplane and sufficient experience as pilots to believe they could reliably demonstrate their invention in a controlled flight.&nbsp; <br /><br />In <a href="https://www.loc.gov/collections/wilbur-and-orville-wright-papers/articles-and-essays/the-wilbur-and-orville-wright-timeline-1846-to-1948/1901-to-1910/" target="_blank">May 1908 Wilbur Wright</a> took their flying machine to France in an effort to get a contract with the French military. He began public demonstrations on August 8, 1908, flying over a horse racing track near Le Mans, France. The first people who witnessed him flying seated on the open wing and managing the airplane with apparent ease were amazed. Soon thousands more people came to see for themselves. Not only was this a momentous feat of modern engineering, it was a mind-bending revolution in human imagination. Man could now fly.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-blHbRdUvUWs/Xj2_hzleyGI/AAAAAAAAUEk/k5Ff91YI4FYiMNqJTAGGnaVX5nC18mzlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Antreten%2Bsum%2BParademarsch%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1288" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-blHbRdUvUWs/Xj2_hzleyGI/AAAAAAAAUEk/k5Ff91YI4FYiMNqJTAGGnaVX5nC18mzlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Antreten%2Bsum%2BParademarsch%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The Wright brothers were not the only inventors pursuing the dream of powered flight. They were just the first, and contrary to the American myth, it was their success in Europe, not the United States that made them famous. By the fall of 1908 Wilbur was taking up single passengers in his machine. By February 1909 he began teaching three Frenchmen how to fly the Wright airplane. <br /><br />During the summer of 1909, <a href="https://wrightstories.com/orville-flies-in-germany/" target="_blank">Orville Wright traveled to Germany</a> where he demonstrated their airplane to the Kaiser in Berlin on August 30. Hundreds of thousands of people saw him fly. By October he set a new unofficial altitude record by soaring to 1,600 feet. Soon there would be a factories in France and Germany turning out Wright flyers.<br /><br />The Wright brother's competition was not fixed-wing aircraft but Count Zeppelin's giant dirigibles filled with hydrogen gas. Zeppelin flew his first airship in 1900 but it was not until November 1909 that his improved designs became feasible and practical for constructing multiple airships suitable for commercial use.&nbsp; Yet as history would prove in the following decades, the future of human flight would not be in lighter-than-air dirigibles. Birds flew with wings, not giant gas sausages. Mankind would soon fly with wings too.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DGcrrRo1Ajg/Xj2_l9BbIHI/AAAAAAAAUEs/mEYt6FJid7IH-o0O9jkCQbHZpuQDcr0GwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Paris%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1600" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DGcrrRo1Ajg/Xj2_l9BbIHI/AAAAAAAAUEs/mEYt6FJid7IH-o0O9jkCQbHZpuQDcr0GwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Paris%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The last two images depict single wing aeroplanes <br />very like the painted theatrical models used <br />by the Swiss and German photographers. <br />This one comes from a postcard photo of a monoplane <br />resembling a dragon fly hovering above <br />a busy city boulevard. It is captioned:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>1140.&nbsp; PARIS – L'Avenue de l'Opera&nbsp;&nbsp; N.D. Phot.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It was postmarked 28 November 1910 from France,<br />and addressed to Emile Weber of Zurich <br />from his brother Hans.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x2anwN6MMYw/Xj2_q9VYwUI/AAAAAAAAUEw/nhbsJfyZ6g8Z1DU_6jv2esDZsp8E21lXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Paris%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="1600" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x2anwN6MMYw/Xj2_q9VYwUI/AAAAAAAAUEw/nhbsJfyZ6g8Z1DU_6jv2esDZsp8E21lXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Paris%2BAirplane%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jcLD5S-vhW4/Xj3AUcr_7aI/AAAAAAAAUFA/-dOquDiG7Zwj4B2vadXdVtJUrWVVY9r-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Antreten%2Bsum%2BParademarsch%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1600" height="408" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jcLD5S-vhW4/Xj3AUcr_7aI/AAAAAAAAUFA/-dOquDiG7Zwj4B2vadXdVtJUrWVVY9r-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Antreten%2Bsum%2BParademarsch%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The last image is a colorized photo print from a German postcard.<br />It shows a long line of Germany soldiers <br />with a birdlike airplane above them. <br />It is captioned:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>Antreten zum Parademarsch</i> ~ Start for the parade march</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the foreground is a fife and drum corp <br />playing next to a Germany military band.<br />All are wearing the distinctive <span class="st"><i>Pickelhauben </i>spiked helmets<br />of the Imperial German Army. <br />This postcard was sent from Hannover<br />via free military <i>Feldpost</i><br />on 28 May 1915.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="st">It was the ninth month of the Great War.<br />Zeppelins and aeroplanes </span><br />were now demonstrating <br />many new applications of flight<br />that were not part of the original dream.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ihM4myMWlk/Xj3AX5V2xrI/AAAAAAAAUFE/fpSry84ZRCwopy5ibII0b5RrzysccYD7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Antreten%2Bsum%2BParademarsch%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="1500" height="412" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ihM4myMWlk/Xj3AX5V2xrI/AAAAAAAAUFE/fpSry84ZRCwopy5ibII0b5RrzysccYD7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Antreten%2Bsum%2BParademarsch%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Last year the world celebrated the 50th anniversary <br />of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969.<br />It represents the pinnacle of human achievement.<br />But though we worried about whether it would succeed,<br />the science was never in doubt.<br />Throughout the preparation, planning, and testing <br />people around the world could follow the idea <br />toward the final goal of leaving a human footprint on the moon.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">But what the Wright brothers achieved<br />inspired a very different sense of astounding wonder.<br />The ancient dream of mankind to fly like a bird<br />had become a reality.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Imagination was no longer needed<br />we could see it on a postcard. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/02/sepia-saturday-506-8th-february-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a><br />where sometimes we like to pretend <br />we know what we are doing.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/02/sepia-saturday-506-8th-february-2020.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/02/sepia-saturday-506-8th-february-2020.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-acgxwPgeX-U/XjwpUnkgLLI/AAAAAAAB9Ak/5psyzhJeDP0Uc1P-XWqyd5GkgC4i88LbQCKgBGAsYHg/s400/2001060x.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-65592713365222770292020-02-01T20:06:00.004-05:002020-02-02T18:26:21.663-05:00The Harry Sisters - part 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3WM5OYCaItk/XjDxTq6V8sI/AAAAAAAAT_M/en7-0c1qNrwTZ4RQPorwxW0qTLEmcHSPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Emma%2BViola%2BHarry%2B1%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1381" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3WM5OYCaItk/XjDxTq6V8sI/AAAAAAAAT_M/en7-0c1qNrwTZ4RQPorwxW0qTLEmcHSPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Emma%2BViola%2BHarry%2B1%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="552" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Every folk story or fairy tale</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">contains a message.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">A bit of practical or moral instruction</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">like "pay attention,"</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">or "don't eat that,"</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">or "beware of strangers."</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7xBNDAn6mAo/XjDzbbnzBuI/AAAAAAAAT_c/_h5raFJzzdghalN8-cSHw-nhjg_RKe-oACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Harry%2BSisters%2B2%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1401" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7xBNDAn6mAo/XjDzbbnzBuI/AAAAAAAAT_c/_h5raFJzzdghalN8-cSHw-nhjg_RKe-oACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Harry%2BSisters%2B2%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="560" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">But some tales include dark secrets.<br />Mysterious things hidden because <br />they are sad, or unpleasant,<br />or too </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">treasured </span>to share with others.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-duz10mH_3vc/XjDzIb4MQWI/AAAAAAAAT_U/GjbXHQSP3c0HnIUxcOUrFMwpT4Kw8VsfwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Emma%2BViola%2BHarry%2B2%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-duz10mH_3vc/XjDzIb4MQWI/AAAAAAAAT_U/GjbXHQSP3c0HnIUxcOUrFMwpT4Kw8VsfwCEwYBhgL/s640/Emma%2BViola%2BHarry%2B2%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="576" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">As my story of the Harry sisters has revealed,<br />the tragic deaths of the two younger girls,<br />Angella and Celestia at ages 18 and 17,<br /> imbued their beautiful photos<br />with unexpected sorrow and grief.<br />&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">But for the eldest sister Emma<br />this heartache was not unfamiliar.<br />&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It had happened before.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">For part 1 and 2 of this story<br />click</span></span><br /><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><a href="http://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-harry-sisters-part-1.html" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b>and <b><br /><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;"><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-harry-sisters-part-2.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></span></b></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5f333Yzpxfk/XjDzyoAc7CI/AAAAAAAAT_k/tXgQlfyo_WMm6XqLfWMvqMHfVzkWA1xMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Emma%2BViola%2BHarry%2B1%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1034" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5f333Yzpxfk/XjDzyoAc7CI/AAAAAAAAT_k/tXgQlfyo_WMm6XqLfWMvqMHfVzkWA1xMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Emma%2BViola%2BHarry%2B1%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="412" /></a></div><br />Like her sisters, Emma Viola Henry sat for her portrait in J. N. Choate's studio but instead of a violin she strums a six-string guitar. On a D major chord too, I think. Her name is also on the photo's back, but unlike the portraits of her sisters, this cabinet card has Mr. Choate's artistic imprint logo on the back and Emma's name is written crosswise to it.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">J. N. Choate,</span></b><br />Art Store and<br />Photograph Rooms.<br />14 W. Main Street,<br />Carlisle, PA.</span></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DwjEPdhGjk8/XjDz5n97xdI/AAAAAAAAT_o/yKtYh2WaVGURw-rFgsrLzZHqkEdhyZdSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Emma%2BViola%2BHarry%2B1%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="895" data-original-width="1400" height="408" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DwjEPdhGjk8/XjDz5n97xdI/AAAAAAAAT_o/yKtYh2WaVGURw-rFgsrLzZHqkEdhyZdSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Emma%2BViola%2BHarry%2B1%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The individual portraits of the Harry sisters—Lydia Celestia Harry, Angella Elizabeth Harry, and Emma Viola Harry—were all taken at the same time as two photographs of their musical trio because in each photo they are dressed the same.&nbsp;The year was around 1885-86 when the three were at their photogenic best. Their names are written on the bottom front, while the back has the same J. N. Choate logo as Emma's photo. In this photo, Celestia, the youngest, stands on the left with Angella on the right, and their older sister Emma sitting center with her guitar. They present a comfortable pose as the sisters gaze at the same point left of the camera, perhaps towards their mother or father. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fooieX6Y3Jo/XjD0AgHswiI/AAAAAAAAT_s/DOBId039b-QnLfQTdmdAx0RsgLjtCOkQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Harry%2BSisters%2B2%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1035" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fooieX6Y3Jo/XjD0AgHswiI/AAAAAAAAT_s/DOBId039b-QnLfQTdmdAx0RsgLjtCOkQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Harry%2BSisters%2B2%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" width="412" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rlLuJw8pnjg/XjIvih4gilI/AAAAAAAAUAQ/NMoqe816-nIEdYLPc4_1cAeiE9C9VYQ2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1871-06-13%2BChambersburg%2BPA%2BPublic_Weekly_Opinion%2B-%2BProf%2BJB_Harry%2B400%2Bpupils.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="460" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rlLuJw8pnjg/XjIvih4gilI/AAAAAAAAUAQ/NMoqe816-nIEdYLPc4_1cAeiE9C9VYQ2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1871-06-13%2BChambersburg%2BPA%2BPublic_Weekly_Opinion%2B-%2BProf%2BJB_Harry%2B400%2Bpupils.JPG" width="374" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chambersburg PA <i>Public Weekly Opinion</i><br />13 June 1871</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In 1871, the year Emma was born, the Harry family lived in Chambersburg, PA, about 30 miles southwest of Carlisle. Their father, James Brown Harry, was making a name for himself as a successful music teacher, a "singing master" with a large number of students and choirs spread out among several communities around Chambersburg. That summer Prof. Harry led about 400 of his pupils in a concert, most of whom had so far only received 15 lessons.<br /><br />Typically he charged students $6 for 52 weeks of instruction with a promise that <i>at the end of that time pupils would be able to read and sing any music placed before them.</i>&nbsp;Regularly each summer he hosted huge outdoor picnics of his students in a pastoral wood near Chambersburg. Thousands attended just for a chance to sing in a mass choir.<br /><br />Prof. Harry was a member of the Ancient Musical Association, known as the "Old Folks" singing association, a group made up of music teachers, musical scholars, and choir masters in the Pennsylvania region. In the second half of the 19th century, Americans cultivated a new passion for choral music partly driven by the proliferation of new song books and hymn collections. There were also numerous professional troupes of singers who traveled the country performing in churches and theaters. The "Old Folks" association were interested in preserving Pennsylvania's choral traditions.&nbsp; <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br /><br />The year before, in 1870, the US Census recorded that James B. Harry, music teacher, was age 42. His wife Emma S. was 28, 14 years younger. Their household had one child then, a son <b>Wm (William) Benton</b>, age 1, as well as a servant girl, age 17.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n3_tfTl9xSo/XjIxagwF4zI/AAAAAAAAUAY/NdX5UisZD1UNPRCaIFsRngItAXNnc_L8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1870%2BUS_Census%2BChambersburg%2BPA%2B-%2BHarry%252C%2BJames_B%2BDETAIL.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="1164" height="106" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n3_tfTl9xSo/XjIxagwF4zI/AAAAAAAAUAY/NdX5UisZD1UNPRCaIFsRngItAXNnc_L8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1870%2BUS_Census%2BChambersburg%2BPA%2B-%2BHarry%252C%2BJames_B%2BDETAIL.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1870 US Census - Chambersburg, Pennsylvania </td></tr></tbody></table>Yet ten years later, in the 1880 census, James and Emma had only three daughters, Emma V., 9; Angella E., 6; and Lydia C., 3. Where was William Benton?&nbsp; He would be age 11 then. Surely too young for a boarding school or an apprenticeship. <br /><br />One of the recurring reports about Prof. Harry in the 1870s was his participation at "Teacher Institutes." These were special conferences for educators put on by a local or state school authority. Over the course of several days, teachers would share methods of instruction on subjects like arithmetic, grammar, and elocution. Guest speakers would lecture on the higher art of teaching children, emphasizing good morals, discipline, and proper character. Prof. Harry provided music, leading the assembled teachers, often 200 or more, in song and occasionally lecturing about music education. Like many entrepreneurs of this era, he had devised his own special "system" for learning to read music.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j0s2QlDL4MA/XjIx919QJ6I/AAAAAAAAUAc/S7OYkhNbwvsk0gbsV-SxgctC1XkG3_uEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1876-11-28%2BChambersburg%2BPA%2BPublic_Weekly_Opinion%2B-%2BEV%2BHarry%2B%2526%2BMaster%2BBenton.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="596" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j0s2QlDL4MA/XjIx919QJ6I/AAAAAAAAUAc/S7OYkhNbwvsk0gbsV-SxgctC1XkG3_uEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1876-11-28%2BChambersburg%2BPA%2BPublic_Weekly_Opinion%2B-%2BEV%2BHarry%2B%2526%2BMaster%2BBenton.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chambersburg PA <i>Public Weekly Opinion</i><br />28 November&nbsp; 1876</td></tr></tbody></table><br />At the Chambersburg Teachers Institute held in November 1876, Prof Harry brought his two children, Miss Emma Harry and Master Benton Harry, to exhibit their ability in reading.&nbsp; Emma was five years old and Benton was age eight. Neither had attended school but could read exceedingly well. <i>The little boy read German as fluently as a native adult. Their proficiency was so great that Prof. Shoemaker</i>, (a guest speaker from Philadelphia)&nbsp;<i>playfully remarked that he would report Mr. Harry to the Society for the prevention of cruelty to children.</i><br /><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><br />Another report said the children read in a very natural manner, with clear and distinct enunciation. Though there is no mention of them singing, given Prof. Harry's background they were surely very capable of doing so, and probably in German too. The brother and sister's performance was well received by the assembly which no doubt made their father very proud. The 1870s were a time when "family bands" were becoming a popular genre of wholesome entertainment. I imagine James and his wife had long conversations about creating their own Harry family singers and orchestra. In 1876 Angella had just turned three, and by October 1877, Lydia Celestia had joined the family. Potentially the Harrys had a complete quartet of musical children and even a sextet when mother and father joined in.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">One other thing <br />that fairy tales teach<br />is that fate can be cruel.</span></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-geRbB88cAzU/XjIyI6OJoHI/AAAAAAAAUAk/f_bAL9OxZ9IvNB4r0DOokoY8fzuK_HoyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1877-11-27%2BChambersburg%2BPA%2BPublic_Weekly_Opinion%2B-%2BDEATH%2BBenton%2BHarry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="591" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-geRbB88cAzU/XjIyI6OJoHI/AAAAAAAAUAk/f_bAL9OxZ9IvNB4r0DOokoY8fzuK_HoyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1877-11-27%2BChambersburg%2BPA%2BPublic_Weekly_Opinion%2B-%2BDEATH%2BBenton%2BHarry.JPG" width="345" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chambersburg PA <i>Public Weekly Opinion</i><br />27 November&nbsp; 1877</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Almost one year later exactly, their hopes were shattered. As reported in the Chambersburg <i>Public Weekly Opinion</i> on 27 November 1877:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><b>Death's Work</b> – <i><b>Benton Harry,</b> a very interesting child of Prof. Harry, died at his faher's residence in this place, on Thursday morning last of that dread disease of the household—diphtheria. Little Benton as a remarkable child in many respects, and by his intelligence and many manly qualities, which seemed unaccountable in one so young—he endeared himself to all who became intimate with him.</i></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;_ _</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Just three days before<br />Benton's death,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Emma Viola Harry <br />celebrated&nbsp;her sixth birthday.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8mUVPWHym1o/XjJL9UPrLnI/AAAAAAAAUBc/YCzk3yNCuGIQgo5uqmuF7SjsvSzR_7khgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Emma%2BViola%2BHarry%2B1895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="450" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8mUVPWHym1o/XjJL9UPrLnI/AAAAAAAAUBc/YCzk3yNCuGIQgo5uqmuF7SjsvSzR_7khgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Emma%2BViola%2BHarry%2B1895.jpg" width="468" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma Viola Harry<br />1895 graduate of Dickinson College<br />Source: <a href="http://archives.dickinson.edu/image-archive/emma-viola-harry-1895" target="_blank">Dickinson College Archives</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />First there was the childhood trauma of losing her older brother William Benton Harry to <i>diphtheria</i>. It's possible that Emma was also stricken by this deadly respiratory infection then, but survived. Wealth was no barrier to this disease, as in 1878 the third child of Queen Victoria, Princess Alice who was now the Grand Duchess of Hesse succumbed to diphtheria along with her youngest daughter. Six of her seven children and her husband struggled through the illness and it sparked a major medical study of the cause. A practical antitoxin for diphtheria was not produced until after 1895. <br /><br />Then in February 1893 Emma's younger sister, Angella Elizabeth Harry, died. The cause reported was "<i>catarrhal consumption</i>," i.e. tuberculosis. This respiratory disease is also caused by bacterial infection and is very debilitating. Though she was reported to be uncomplaining, Angella's sufferings would be terribly distressing for her parents and sisters.<br /><br />And finally one month before Emma was to graduate from Dickinson College, her youngest sister, Lydia Celestia Harry, died after a <i>"lingering illness from a complication of diseases."</i> From the personal section of the newspapers, Celestia paid a visit to a Harrisburg friend in March 1895, but became "dangerously ill" in April, and then passed away at the beginning of May. Another case of consumption? History does not remember.<br /><br />June 1895 was to be the end of Emma's senior year at Dickinson, but considering the circumstances of Celestia's collapse, she might be forgiven for not applying full concentration to her studies.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yet her course grades were so good<br />that it put her at the top of her class.<br />Emma V. Harry was made valedictorian<br />of the Dickinson College Class of '95.</span></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lom-2kYJZLo/XjNBd30uSdI/AAAAAAAAUBs/oyeuStcdygsET7W6VGJhHkcGdpDFerAmACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1895-05-20%2BCarlisle%2BSentinel%2B-%2BEVH%2BValedictorian.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="561" height="207" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lom-2kYJZLo/XjNBd30uSdI/AAAAAAAAUBs/oyeuStcdygsET7W6VGJhHkcGdpDFerAmACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1895-05-20%2BCarlisle%2BSentinel%2B-%2BEVH%2BValedictorian.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carlisle PA <i>Sentinel</i><br />20 May 1895</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />The commencement exercises at Dickinson College included 12 speeches from graduating seniors on topics like "Moral and Religious Instruction in our Public Schools"; "A Great Historic Fossil"; "The Race Problem"; "The Chivalry of the Nineteenth Century"; to "The Solution of National Perils". Emma's valedictorian speech was last and her subject was "Pen Pictures from the Life of Charlotte Corday." This woman seems an unusual choice, as she was a famous martyr in the French Revolution. Charlotte Corday was executed by guillotine in July 1793 for assassinating the Jacobin leader Jean-Paul Marat, an act seen by some as a mark of the early French feminist movement. An earlier speaker's subject was "Madame Roland", another female French republican intellectual who was executed in October 1793, so perhaps this was part of a class study.<br /><br /><br /><br />But Emma was not through with Dickinson. At graduation her grade average merited membership in the Phi Betta Kappa Honor Society, and she won a senior prize worth $25. Her Bachelor of Arts degree was only a start. She would stay on at Dickinson and in 1896 receive her Masters degree through examination.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-URYTAGoBboc/XjNLnDeCr2I/AAAAAAAAUB0/x5t2M78A-egrhFbwMwA6aMlmMl4q1ra4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1895%2BDickinson%2BSenior%2BClass%2Bb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="767" height="524" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-URYTAGoBboc/XjNLnDeCr2I/AAAAAAAAUB0/x5t2M78A-egrhFbwMwA6aMlmMl4q1ra4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1895%2BDickinson%2BSenior%2BClass%2Bb.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Class of 1895, Dickinson College<br />Source: <a href="http://archives.dickinson.edu/image-archive/class-1895-outside-bosler-hall-1895" target="_blank">Dickinson College Archives</a></td></tr></tbody></table>In this photo of the Class of '95, Emma Viola Harry, one of five women, is standing center with her classmates outside a college building, with fresh snow on her cap and gown, presumably taken in the winter of 1895. Her freshmen class of 32 was now reduced to 28 seniors. According to their biographies in a 1920 Dickinson alumni catalog, 10 members of the class of '95 became academics; 8 entered the clergy; 7 chose law; and three more each became an engineer, businessman, and journalist.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">With her talent for language and superior credentials, <br />it was no surprise that Emma's destiny was to be a teacher. </div><br /><br />Her first teaching job from 1896-97 was as a high school teacher and assistant principal in West Pittston, PA, about 130 miles north east of Carlisle. The Pittston newspaper said of her, "The new teacher, Miss Harry, is making an excellent impression on the pupils who recite to her. She is very thorough, insisting on going to the bottom of every subject under discussion." Emma also entertained her classes by playing the violin. In 1897 she returned to Carlisle where she taught French at Dickinson College for two years.<br /><br />But her big break came in 1899 when the school board of New Castle, PA, about 230 miles northwest of Carlisle, near Youngstown, OH, engaged her to teach Greek and German at the New Castle high school. She soon established herself as a valued teacher, becoming head of the language department and earning a salary of $900 at $100 a month for the 9 month school term. Though this was higher than other female teachers, and nearly the same as paid to elementary school principals, it was still $5 a month less than male high school teachers. This gender inequity was the norm for female teachers everywhere in early 20th century America.<br /><br />However it must have been a good school as in September 1906 Emma turned down an offer to teach languages in Pittsburgh. Though the offer had a salary of $1,200, she felt obliged to honor her promise to teach at New Castle high school.<br /><br />Another more private pledge was to remain a single woman. This was a time when female school teachers were expected to remain unmarried. I don't know that if it was a contractual requirement in New Castle, but Emma never married and instead chose to make teaching her sole focus and reward in life. <br /><br />Emma's subjects of Greek and German sometimes included Latin and French, as well as German history. She gave public lectures on medieval history, history of the Lutheran church, and plays of Shakespeare. In 1911 the New Castle Herald published one of her public lectures entitled "Does a High School Education Lead to Citizenship? Is It a Preparation for Life in a Republic?" The answer was very much in the affirmative and filled over 8 full page columns with dense typeface. It also began with a small photo of Emma Viola Harry. At several points in the speech she includes dramatic speeches from fictional characters undoubtedly rendered with theatrical effects she learned in performances with her sisters.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h_Zi5DfpJ4c/XjSQBgNEIgI/AAAAAAAAUCM/qwSG870JOQUPE3MN159Tw0Fh_bl0i2cMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1911-03-14%2BNew_Castle%2BPA%2BHerald%2B-%2BEV_Harry%2BEssay%2BPIC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="1125" height="536" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h_Zi5DfpJ4c/XjSQBgNEIgI/AAAAAAAAUCM/qwSG870JOQUPE3MN159Tw0Fh_bl0i2cMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1911-03-14%2BNew_Castle%2BPA%2BHerald%2B-%2BEV_Harry%2BEssay%2BPIC.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Castle PA <i>Herald</i><br />14 March 1911</td></tr></tbody></table>Shortly after Emma took on this teaching job, her mother joined her in New Castle where the two lived in a boarding house. Emma S. Harry was then age 58 yet curiously the 1900 census put her age as 50 and widowed. But her husband Prof. James B. Harry was still alive at age 72 working in Harrisburg as a music teacher, though probably with a much reduced number of students and choirs.<br /><br />In the census of 1910 Prof. Harry, now 82, still listed his occupation as music teacher but he had moved to Mercer, PA, 18 miles north of New Castle. Meanwhile his wife, living with Emma in New Castle, had aged only 8 years in a decade, listing herself as 58 and married 36 years, when in fact she was 68 and married to James for 42 years. These anomalies might be simple mistakes or an indication that James and Emma S. Harry were estranged and living apart. What is clear is that James Harry still considered himself an itinerant singing master.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">But that was about to change.<br />Prof. J. B. Harry believed he had found buried treasure.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XnB1lwYGN7E/XjJBoNxoBcI/AAAAAAAAUAs/VUEGYC4Aq5U00P4fsO81Gf-u5Ogj976WgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1910-07-24%2BBaltimore_Sun%2B-%2BProf%2BJB_Harry%2BPIC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1478" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XnB1lwYGN7E/XjJBoNxoBcI/AAAAAAAAUAs/VUEGYC4Aq5U00P4fsO81Gf-u5Ogj976WgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1910-07-24%2BBaltimore_Sun%2B-%2BProf%2BJB_Harry%2BPIC.jpg" width="518" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baltimore MD <i>Sun</i><br />24 July 1910</td></tr></tbody></table>In July 1910, Prof. J. B. Harry's photo appeared in the Baltimore <i>Sun </i>with a header reading <span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">"Thinks He Will Get a Chunk of Baltimore."</span> Above his patriarchal visage was a report that <span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">"Would Jolt Baltimore – Pennsylvania Music Teacher Want 300 Acres of It. – RIGHT IN THE HEART OF THE CITY."</span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LZudUvkGgCk/XjJDQVBTq4I/AAAAAAAAUA0/T60FUo7WcIAuORbGARONYsmi3Q2sDbsyACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1910-07-24%2BBaltimore_Sun%2B-%2BProf%2BJB_Harry%2Bseeks%2Bfortun.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="757" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LZudUvkGgCk/XjJDQVBTq4I/AAAAAAAAUA0/T60FUo7WcIAuORbGARONYsmi3Q2sDbsyACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1910-07-24%2BBaltimore_Sun%2B-%2BProf%2BJB_Harry%2Bseeks%2Bfortun.JPG" width="506" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baltimore MD <i>Sun</i><br />24 July 1910</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">In Baltimore's central business district there was a 300 acre section of land that was reputed to have been leased to the city in the early 19th century for 100 years. Now in 1910 this "lease" had supposedly expired and Prof. Harry believed that he was one of the rightful heirs to the original landowner. The property was reported to be worth $400,000,000. His explanation involved family trees, distant cousins, old documents, and complicated reasons that attempted to establish his claim to this chimerical fortune. Prof. Harry even included his story of saving Harrisburg from General Lee's invading Confederate Army in 1863. Needless to say his argument did not secure any compensation from the city of Baltimore. But it did get his picture in the paper and a few days of celebrity. What his wife and daughter thought of this is not recorded.</div><br />Sadly the next summer in August 1911, Emma S. Harry died in New Castle at her daughter's home. Her obituary described her as a woman of <i>unusual intellectual attainments, who always took a great interest in the happenings and important questions of the day.</i>&nbsp;Her certificate of death listed her date of birth as January 18, 1853 making her 59 years. But her ages on the census records of 1870 and 1880 are more trustworthy and she was actually 69, ten years older.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The cause of death?&nbsp; <br /><i>Tuberculosis</i>.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">The final words spoken at Emma Harry's funeral service in Carlisle, <br />were from Rev. George E. Reed, of Dickinson College,<br />who had spoken at the services for her two daughters<br />Angella Elisabeth and&nbsp; Lydia Celestia.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-54GWtZbObxI/XjTddyRkmYI/AAAAAAAAUCU/CornXlHn078vQuPPF67uaHlIQeZzI8z_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1913%2BNew%2BCastle%2BHS%2Bfaculty%2B-%2BEVH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="399" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-54GWtZbObxI/XjTddyRkmYI/AAAAAAAAUCU/CornXlHn078vQuPPF67uaHlIQeZzI8z_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1913%2BNew%2BCastle%2BHS%2Bfaculty%2B-%2BEVH.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Castle PA <br />1913 High School Annual</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />In 1913 the New Castle high school had a new principal who apparently took a dislike to Emma, the head of the school's language department. That summer he asked the school board not to renew her contract for the next term. Former students organized a petition of support for their German/Greek/Latin/French teacher. The possibility of her removal made front page news. At the board meeting, some alumni described her as the best teacher they had ever had in all of high school and university. Her method of teaching foreign languages had allowed several students to successfully advance in college. One former student produced a doctor's certificate to reassure anyone that rumors of Emma's ill health were mistaken, and that she was physically and mentally qualified to teach.<br /><br />But the board voted rejected their pleas and voted for the principal and against the teacher. After nearly 15 years in the same system Emma Viola Harry was forced into finding a new job.<br /><br />She found one in Bridgton, New Jersey, about 40 miles south of Philadelphia where she would teach English at the local high school. Over the next year she developed debate teams, remade the graduation commencement oratory (14 with introductions), played her violin and soon endeared herself to her new students. But something was not right, perhaps the $900 salary which was less than what she made in 1906. In the summer of 1915 she applied for a teaching position at a high school in Calumet, Michigan and was hired for the fall.<br /><br />Emma quickly took out an advert in the newspaper offering most of her household items for sale. Her father, now age 87, would accompany her. Calumet Township is on the upper Upper Peninsula of Michigan on the southern shore of Lake Superior. In winter it gets very cold.<br /><br />James Brown Harry, singing master, died on September 15, 1918 at the home of his daughter Emma. He was three months shy of being 90 years old.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The cause of death?&nbsp; <br /><i>Senile, Congestion of lung.</i></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A month later J. Howard Wert, a close friend <br />published a touching tribute in the Harrisburg newspaper.<br />"With Professor Harry music was more than a science or an art.<br />During a very long life it was with him a passion—his whole being.<br />He believed that music was one of the great means <br />by which society might be elated and enobled, <br />and to it he dedicated his whole life."</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br />After bringing her father's body 1,200 miles back to Pennsylvania, it's unclear if Emma Viola returned to teaching in Michigan. But two years later in 1920, the New Castle newspaper reported that she had a position as a research assistant to the principal of the New York State Normal School in Genesseo, NY, 30 miles south of Rochester. This school was part of the State University of New York system and is now known as SUNY Geneseo. However I could find no records of Emma actually teaching there, though she certainly had credentials. Perhaps she took in students for private tutoring in foreign languages or even music.<br /><br />By the 1930 census, she was living in an Geneeso apartment that she owned, valued at $1,500, but she listed no occupation. She was single, 60 years old, and without any family.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is when the fairy tale <br />of the Harry Sisters <br />becomes very grim.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kxksKni88JY/XjT0kT1mI5I/AAAAAAAAUCk/w8IFfzl086IqQIggp5E0oA9GwjXpEyAmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1935%2BFEB%2Bvol12_3%2BDickinson%2BAlumni%2B-%2BEmma%2BV%2BHarry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="520" height="393" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kxksKni88JY/XjT0kT1mI5I/AAAAAAAAUCk/w8IFfzl086IqQIggp5E0oA9GwjXpEyAmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1935%2BFEB%2Bvol12_3%2BDickinson%2BAlumni%2B-%2BEmma%2BV%2BHarry.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dickinson College <i>Alumnus</i><br />February 1935<br />Source: <a href="http://archives.dickinson.edu/alumni-magazine/dickinson-alumnus-february-1935" target="_blank">Dickinson College Archives</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It was a short sentence found in the personal column <br />of the February 1935 alumni magazine for Dickinson College. </span></div><br /><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">Miss Emma V. Harry, of Geneseo, N. Y., retired school teacher, is now a patient in a hospital for mental diseases in Rochester, N. Y. </span></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Three years later in 1938, the Carlisle newspaper <br />ran a legal notice regarding a settlement <br />of the estate of Emma V. Harry, an <i>adjudged lunatic</i>.</span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ua1TR0CCqQ/XjJIPKFbs1I/AAAAAAAAUBA/mgIuAf9VDkQ4M9EQNkLuQRS64uZ5S7hkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1938-03-30%2BCarlisle%2BPA%2BSentinel%2B-%2BEV_Harry%2BLUNATIC%2Bestate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="432" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ua1TR0CCqQ/XjJIPKFbs1I/AAAAAAAAUBA/mgIuAf9VDkQ4M9EQNkLuQRS64uZ5S7hkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1938-03-30%2BCarlisle%2BPA%2BSentinel%2B-%2BEV_Harry%2BLUNATIC%2Bestate.JPG" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carlisle PA <i>Sentinel</i><br />30 March 1938</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The property at issue was four unimproved lots, each 50 feet by 180 feet, on the Hanover Turnpike in Mount Holly Springs, PA. However Emma was in no condition to contest the lawsuit as she was an inmate of the State Hospital in Rochester, NY, formerly known as the Monroe County Insane Asylum.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J7rwgzVkIr8/XjNbFRTkDqI/AAAAAAAAUB8/Utk2wUImnXoY0T0qeCvZwxBgB4NkROUXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/NY%2BState%2BInsane%2BAsylum%2BRochester.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="1600" height="406" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J7rwgzVkIr8/XjNbFRTkDqI/AAAAAAAAUB8/Utk2wUImnXoY0T0qeCvZwxBgB4NkROUXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/NY%2BState%2BInsane%2BAsylum%2BRochester.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monroe County Insane Asylum, Rochester, NY<br />Source:<a href="http://www.asylumprojects.org/index.php/Rochester_Psychiatric_Center" target="_blank">AsylumProjects.org</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Emma Harry's name was listed on the 1940 US Census records. She is line 8 on a page of 40 women whose surname begins with <u>H</u>. The youngest is 17 and the oldest is 90. The average age is 55. Under the columns for <i>Relation </i>and <i>Residence</i>, the census taker has carefully repeated forty times: <i>Inmate </i>and <i>Same house. </i>The only distinguishing information is their name, age, and place of birth.<i> </i><br /><br />It is dreadfully impersonal, but most horrible of all is that this is just one page out of 81 pages that record the 3,205 inmates confined to the Rochester State Hospital. An additional 10 pages counted 364 people employed as nurses, physicians, attendants, cooks, and other staff living at the institution. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kqRIx55yPb0/XjJIbVlTRBI/AAAAAAAAUBI/uz1v7AdQBI0-dRIIJ8RE9l0l5SG2wLvmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1940%2BUS-Census%2BNY%2BState%2BHosp%2B-%2BEmma%2BHarry%2BDETAIL.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="1309" height="434" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kqRIx55yPb0/XjJIbVlTRBI/AAAAAAAAUBI/uz1v7AdQBI0-dRIIJ8RE9l0l5SG2wLvmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1940%2BUS-Census%2BNY%2BState%2BHosp%2B-%2BEmma%2BHarry%2BDETAIL.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1940 US Census Rochester NY State Hospital</td></tr></tbody></table>The Monroe County Insane Asylum became the <a href="http://www.asylumprojects.org/index.php/Rochester_Psychiatric_Center" target="_blank">Rochester State Hospital</a> in 1891 and continued in operation until it closed in 1992. It still stands awaiting demolition 38 years later. A short history and photo album of its current state can be seen <a href="https://opacity.us/site119_rochester_state_hospital.htm" target="_blank">HERE</a>, but I warn readers that the macabre images of this decaying buildings are very distressing to see.<br /><br />The hospital dealt with an extraordinary variety of mental impairments like alcoholism, epilepsy, schizophrenia, etc. and many physical disabilities like limb deformities, leprosy, palsy, diabetes, etc. Some inmates were able to perform simple labor around the hospital. But many others, particularly the senile elderly population, were kept idle. In our modern era many of the inmates from 1935-1955 would never be confined like Emma was. What caused her to be there is unknown. It is the ultimate secret of this fairy tale.&nbsp; <br /><br />And to make a sad story even more bitter, <a href="https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/libraries/miner/rare-books-and-manuscripts/archives-and-manuscripts/record-groups/rochester-state-hospital.aspx" target="_blank">the records of the Rochester State Hospital</a> are permanently closed to the public, available only to medical researchers on special request. Descendants of inmates can never learn anything about the fate of their ancestor placed into the hospital. And amateur genealogists like me have no chance of investigating the reasons for Emma's commitment. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">But thankfully someone <br />let her college know <br />how her story ends. </span></div><br /><br /><br />In September 1955 the Dickinson College alumni magazine published an obituary for Miss Emma Viola Harry, class of 1895. She died on May 12, 1955 at the State Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. after an illness of nearly 20 years. Internment was made at the Harry family plot in the Mt. Holly Springs cemetery.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-te640H3zXZQ/XjWb7q57j5I/AAAAAAAAUC0/ClxObPy0GDU3fQnwUc29VXiv6knmQQmGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1955%2BSEPT%2Bvol33_1%2BDickinson%2BAlumni%2BOBIT%2BEmma%2BV%2BHarry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="847" height="313" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-te640H3zXZQ/XjWb7q57j5I/AAAAAAAAUC0/ClxObPy0GDU3fQnwUc29VXiv6knmQQmGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1955%2BSEPT%2Bvol33_1%2BDickinson%2BAlumni%2BOBIT%2BEmma%2BV%2BHarry.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dickinson College Alumnus<br />September 1955<br />Source: <a href="http://archives.dickinson.edu/alumni-magazine/dickinson-alumnus-september-1955" target="_blank">Dickinson College Archives</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />The year of birth recorded for Emma V. Harry's obituary and on her gravestone are incorrect. Her childhood ages recorded in census records and newspaper reports make it clear that Emma was born in 1870. Therefore at her death she was not age 80 but actually 84 years 5 months and 18 days. Likewise for the same reasons, the year of birth for her sisters, Angella E. Harry and Lydia Celestia Harry were incorrect in the Dickinson College alumni records. Not 1877 and 1879, but 1874 and 1877 respectively.<br /><br />That is why Mr. Choate's portrait of Emma Viola Harry made in 1885-86 looks like a young woman of 15-16 and not age ten. Think what a fine gift this would make to celebrate a girl's 16th birthday. That's the only happy ending I can leave with readers.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ErhPV1V7hyQ/XjJMFAhQdNI/AAAAAAAAUBg/uXHpP_uT-xsHS84oQNlw_wzG7ttIXvEYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Emma%2BViola%2BHarry%2B2%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1032" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ErhPV1V7hyQ/XjJMFAhQdNI/AAAAAAAAUBg/uXHpP_uT-xsHS84oQNlw_wzG7ttIXvEYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Emma%2BViola%2BHarry%2B2%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" width="412" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>CODA</b></span></div><br /><br />A name tells us nothing about a person. Even with the bookends of knowing dates of birth and death, we learn little of the human story in between.<br /><br />In contrast a photograph captures a single moment of light that sometimes reveals features of a personality. Yet without a name that photo remains just an unrecognizable reflection of an anonymous time. <br /><br />The photographs of the Harry sisters describe three graceful girls at the beginning of adulthood. We see evidence of music, charm, and love, no more. Nothing about what they played, how they performed, or who listened to them. Answers to those questions seemed to be locked in mystery.<br /><br />However when Prof. Harry or his wife Emma wrote their daughters' names on the photos their intention was simply to commemorate a particular time and place. They could not foresee the future, much less comprehend that those three names would become the key to unlock their daughters' story 135 years later.<br /><br />The great majority of my photograph collection are images of unknown musicians. The photos of the Harry sisters are a rare exception. Even more amazing is that their history was recorded in newspapers and archives available online. But unlike the other musician biographies that I've researched, the story I uncovered of the Harry sisters was much more than a story of a 19th century family orchestra.<br /><br />The exceptional talent and intelligence of these girls was nurtured by parents mindful of the power of education. More remarkable is that, contrary to the social conventions for women in the 1890s, all three young women aspired to a college education. That element of feminism made their story worth telling. It was a bonus to learn of their heroic father and his influence on Pennsylvania musical culture.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />But when I discovered the double tragedy of Angella and Celestia dying so young, the secret loss of their brother Benton, and the terrible denouement to Emma's life, I knew this was a very special story I must tell.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It is not a fairy tale.<br />It was a story<br />real and true. <br />&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Once upon a time, <br />long ago, <br />three beautiful little girls<br />posed for a camera.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/01/sepia-saturday-505-1-february-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a></b><br /><b>where everyone must wait for their ship to sail.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/01/sepia-saturday-505-1-february-2020.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/01/sepia-saturday-505-1-february-2020.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WOgLXQ_7a7U/XinSzouefVI/AAAAAAAB8pY/Y6U8Q3ZUo-o5Peo7PKrwle7GAk8gzA88QCKgBGAsYHg/s400/2001059x.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-17576000912655787452020-01-25T16:52:00.002-05:002020-06-04T21:53:39.598-04:00The Harry Sisters - part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5KdbmYgDfRI/XiXCqRz-PkI/AAAAAAAAT8A/GTAM30POo3c2lZOQz4-J5v25N3XGNhAgACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Angella%2BE%2BHarry%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="1166" height="636" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5KdbmYgDfRI/XiXCqRz-PkI/AAAAAAAAT8A/GTAM30POo3c2lZOQz4-J5v25N3XGNhAgACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Angella%2BE%2BHarry%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">In every fairy tale<br />there's always an adventure<br />that the heroes undertake<br />to seek their fortune.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-II7SitBzvpg/XiXC8u3OWfI/AAAAAAAAT8I/RuUuDnqQsNsVC6-3cGMyc8I07dofJeMswCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/L%2BCelestia%2BHarry%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="1001" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-II7SitBzvpg/XiXC8u3OWfI/AAAAAAAAT8I/RuUuDnqQsNsVC6-3cGMyc8I07dofJeMswCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/L%2BCelestia%2BHarry%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="514" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It might be some great task to complete,<br />or rich treasure to find,<br />or giant obstacle to overcome.<br />Yet despite all the risks<br />the heroes accept the challenge.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KgMyefvrz28/XiXDOJkcN8I/AAAAAAAAT8Q/p6Ge6bFZAgMB5fKltHoVlFoAVjDZP7c-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Harry%2BSisters%2B3%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1352" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KgMyefvrz28/XiXDOJkcN8I/AAAAAAAAT8Q/p6Ge6bFZAgMB5fKltHoVlFoAVjDZP7c-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Harry%2BSisters%2B3%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The three Harry sisters may have looked like<br />characters in a children's book,<br />but beyond the photographs<br />their lives did not imitate a fairy tale.<br />Instead theirs was <br />a story of true fortunes<br />both sweet and bitter.</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">For part 1 of this story<br />click</span></span><br /><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-harry-sisters-part-1.html" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a></span></span><b><br /></b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rn5ieX442t0/XiXDz8MHjFI/AAAAAAAAT8Y/1--dRXEEpvA60qqVEueBLz2dW-7rVxx8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Angella%2BE%2BHarry%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1053" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rn5ieX442t0/XiXDz8MHjFI/AAAAAAAAT8Y/1--dRXEEpvA60qqVEueBLz2dW-7rVxx8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Angella%2BE%2BHarry%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><br /><br />In about 1885 in addition to having photographs made of their trio, each Harry sister posed for her individual portrait as well. In this cabinet card photo by the Carlisle photographer, <a href="http://chronicles.dickinson.edu/studentwork/indian/4_choate.htm" target="_blank">John Nicolas Choate</a> (1848–1902), <b>Angella E. Harry&nbsp;</b>sits in a studio chair with her violin under her chin in playing position. She gives us just a hint of a smile. On the photo's back her name is carefully centered in a fine cursive style, with <b><span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;">"Harry Sisters"</span></b> written in block letters in the lower corner.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EW-jgDcHrok/XiXD39uyJcI/AAAAAAAAT8c/f3wMfYtvnWkqG5dZiATojR4W7KYee0R5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Angella%2BE%2BHarry%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="1400" height="416" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EW-jgDcHrok/XiXD39uyJcI/AAAAAAAAT8c/f3wMfYtvnWkqG5dZiATojR4W7KYee0R5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Angella%2BE%2BHarry%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y2SvA3gh9Lg/XinX-q-0wFI/AAAAAAAAT9I/-xwSSIlL9hYqzXmLWnDtiOfu1tOtD69DwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/L%2BCelestia%2BHarry%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1039" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y2SvA3gh9Lg/XinX-q-0wFI/AAAAAAAAT9I/-xwSSIlL9hYqzXmLWnDtiOfu1tOtD69DwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/L%2BCelestia%2BHarry%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="414" /></a></div><br />In the photo of her younger sister Celestia,&nbsp; Mr. Choate arranged the smaller girl onto a different chair with a small hassock to rest her feet. Unlike Angella, she is dressed in a lacy white frock with her violin displayed upright on her thigh. On the back is her name in the same handwriting.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">L. Celestia Harry<br />of the <br />" Harry Sisters. "</span></b></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yhNld3JywVI/XinYDqK-AmI/AAAAAAAAT9M/Y2iaYBRMP2cQLMjIQxeIWoNbmVA3KTKKACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/L%2BCelestia%2BHarry%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="915" data-original-width="1400" height="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yhNld3JywVI/XinYDqK-AmI/AAAAAAAAT9M/Y2iaYBRMP2cQLMjIQxeIWoNbmVA3KTKKACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/L%2BCelestia%2BHarry%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lnAl0IAQu9I/XinUlsKObBI/AAAAAAAAT84/bVkN3Yda0Y8jFoi_5seuVE_QjKjwjttpgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Harry%2BSisters%2B3%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1043" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lnAl0IAQu9I/XinUlsKObBI/AAAAAAAAT84/bVkN3Yda0Y8jFoi_5seuVE_QjKjwjttpgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Harry%2BSisters%2B3%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="416" /></a></div><br />This third photo of the Harry sisters shows them standing together in Mr. Choate's studio. Emma, the eldest, and Angella look down admiringly on Celestia in the center as she plays her violin. The older girls wear matching folk type dresses with cute banded shoes and long aprons embroidered with a floral motif. We might assume that the Tyrolean-like dresses were their mother's handwork, as expected of a mother in this era. But Mrs. Emma S. Harry was born in Pennsylvania and the Harry family were not of Germanic descent. So it's possible that their father, Prof. J. B. Harry, engaged a skilled seamstress to make suitable stage costumes for his three daughters. <br /><br />Once again their names are recorded on the back in the same hand. The clarity of the elegant script leads me to believe that one of their parents signed the names. But it's also possible that one of the girls, maybe Emma, practiced her penmanship on the photos. In any case, the formality suggests the names were added to enhance the photos' souvenir quality. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YUYu444j1zg/XinUs_e-DrI/AAAAAAAAT88/wt-53Y_QBJMdzQo-8bbEPsgF-pgVUfEuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Harry%2BSisters%2B3%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="1600" height="416" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YUYu444j1zg/XinUs_e-DrI/AAAAAAAAT88/wt-53Y_QBJMdzQo-8bbEPsgF-pgVUfEuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Harry%2BSisters%2B3%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />In the 1880 census the family of Emma S. and James B. Harry lived in Mount Holly Springs, PA but by 1882 they had moved six mile north to Carlisle. Singing master Prof. J. B. Harry had opened a "singing school" there in 1867 which was then his eighth music school in the region. He then boasted of one thousand students which can be taken as a testimonial to his skill as a music teacher as well as an example of how popular vocal music had become.<br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nK_dsctJAHQ/XinsRghsRII/AAAAAAAAT9Y/4uPXy_022EgLcIp8FvbM8R9M2uTQRyRpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1888-06-29%2BNorthumberland%2BPA%2BPublic_Press%2B-%2BHarry%2BSisters.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="583" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nK_dsctJAHQ/XinsRghsRII/AAAAAAAAT9Y/4uPXy_022EgLcIp8FvbM8R9M2uTQRyRpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1888-06-29%2BNorthumberland%2BPA%2BPublic_Press%2B-%2BHarry%2BSisters.JPG" width="328" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northumberland PA <i>Public Press</i><br />29 June 1888</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />The Harry sisters began performing "professionally" in 1882, and six years later in 1888 were still picking up short "reviews" like this one from the newspaper in Northumberland, PA, about 66 miles north of Carlisle on the Susquehanna River. It is likely that Prof. Harry wrote most of the notices himself and then sent them o the newspapers in advance. The sisters Emma Viola, Angella E. and Lydia Celestia Harry were now age 17,&nbsp; 14, and 11 respectively. Their concerts were occasional events in the region and never advertised like traveling music hall artists. Prof. Harry emphasized their violin and vocal talents, their reading and recitations in English, German, and Spanish, and their youth. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_ _ </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br />The main problem with promoting children as musical artists is that the shelf life of cuteness is very short. Eventually every child is captured by puberty and transformed into a gangling awkward young adult. So it was with the Harry sisters, perhaps minus the gangling part, as their last performance was reported on May 3, 1890. After that date the trio seems to have stopped all public concerts.<br /><br />My research might have stopped on that day as well, except for the Harry family's good fortune to&nbsp; live in Carlisle, Pennsylvania a city that took pride in education. In the 1890 Carlisle, the county seat of Cumberland County, had a population of 7,620. This was small compared to Harrisburg, the state capital, 22 miles east of Carlisle, which had 39,385 citizens, but comfortably in between two adjacent county seats, York and Gettysburg, which respectively had 20,793 and 3,221 residents.&nbsp; <br /><br />In this decade Carlisle could boast of 14 churches, five newspapers, two banks, two cornet bands, dozens of fraternal and society lodges, and two important educational institutions. In 1879 on the grounds of an old military barracks the federal government established a large boarding school for Native-American children, called the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlisle_Indian_Industrial_School" target="_blank">Carlisle Indian Industrial School</a>. The photographer for the Harry sisters, John N. Choate, was under contract with the school to photograph the Indian students. and took thousands of photographs to document this school.<br /><br />But a more notable educational institution for the city was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dickinson_College" target="_blank">Dickinson College</a>, a private liberal arts college established in 1783 making it the first college founded after the American Revolution. For almost 100 years it was open only to young men, but in the 1880s Dickinson College began to admit female students into its academic program.<br /><br />Again fortune favored the Harry sisters as their home in this enlightened community was just a 15 minute walk, less than a mile, from the Dickinson College campus. Included in its 1891-92 college catalog was a list of the freshman class of&nbsp; '95 with 28 names. Under the <i>Classical Section</i> was <i><b>Harry, Emma V</b></i>., resident of Carlisle at <i>Prof. Harry's</i>. <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eFQdWgBVt28/Xin0KN7cTGI/AAAAAAAAT9g/Bz_6nxyBmxAzTd2jr2B0gKKcOue0ilS3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1891-92%2BDickinson%2BCollege%2B-%2BFreshman%2BClass%2BEVH.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="530" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eFQdWgBVt28/Xin0KN7cTGI/AAAAAAAAT9g/Bz_6nxyBmxAzTd2jr2B0gKKcOue0ilS3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1891-92%2BDickinson%2BCollege%2B-%2BFreshman%2BClass%2BEVH.JPG" width="410" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1891-92 Dickinson College catalog<br />Source: <a href="https://archive.org/details/dkc0311/page/n19" target="_blank">Archive.org</a></td></tr></tbody></table>The college was also affiliated with a preparatory school for younger students, effectively a high school. And in the listing for the senior class was <i>Harry, Angella E</i>., and for the junior class, <i>Harry, Celestia, </i>both residing at <i>Prof. Harry's</i>.<br /><br />Like many colleges, the students at Dickinson produced an annual journal entitled the Microcosm. The one for the 1891-92 school year was filled with witty observations of college life and clever cartoons like this one illustrating Emma's class of '95.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GTZP-Hd7mSc/Xin0e0ZuyZI/AAAAAAAAT9o/3RWvCBiIVFUC2i4jONog_EcqALElKL97ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1891_92%2BDickinson%2BCollege%2BAnnual%2BClass%2B95.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="581" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GTZP-Hd7mSc/Xin0e0ZuyZI/AAAAAAAAT9o/3RWvCBiIVFUC2i4jONog_EcqALElKL97ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1891_92%2BDickinson%2BCollege%2BAnnual%2BClass%2B95.JPG" width="622" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1891-92 Microcosm, Dickinson College annual<br />Source: <a href="http://archives.dickinson.edu/microcosm/microcosm-yearbook-1891-92" target="_blank">Dickinson Archives</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Emma V. Harry entered Dickinson in the fall of 1891 choosing the Classical Course of study. There were 32 freshman students in the class of '95, with 18 in the Classical Section. The students were required to take five hours in Latin and five in Greek, following standard textbooks on grammar and studying some of the works of various ancient scholars. Five more hours were devoted to mathematics, both algebra and geometry, and three hours for English study. There were also lectures in anatomy and oratory, which included <i>Voice-building, Drill in Vocal Gymnastics, Gesture, together with Lectures on the Art of Breathing, with Description and Analysis of the Various Organs of Speech</i>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W4kzF-5GayY/XixmzxlmO1I/AAAAAAAAT-U/ChMyd-13WtsMMiJ3F0V2Xd-H_tgU9_xQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1891-92%2BDickinson%2BCollege%2B-%2BFreshman%2BClassic%2BCourse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="625" height="610" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W4kzF-5GayY/XixmzxlmO1I/AAAAAAAAT-U/ChMyd-13WtsMMiJ3F0V2Xd-H_tgU9_xQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1891-92%2BDickinson%2BCollege%2B-%2BFreshman%2BClassic%2BCourse.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />Tuition at Dickinson College in 1892 cost $50 per year, roughly $<span id="priceWorth">1,460 by 2020 measures of worth. Dorm rooms rented between $5 to $12 for the Fall term and $7 to $18 for the Winter/Spring term, the extra expense covering the cost of coal heating. Board was extra, typically $3 to $5 per week. Lab fees were $10 and $15 per term, and all students paid an additional general college service fee of $25 in the Fall and $35 in the Winter/Spring.</span><br /><br />Emma Harry resided, of course, at her family's home in Carlisle so she was not obliged to pay room and board fees, and the service fee was reduced for local students. Fees for Angella and Celestia at the Dickinson Preparatory School were less, $28 for the Fall term and $56 for the Winter/Spring term, inclusive of general service fees. As accomplished performers the Harry sisters were already better prepared than most young children their age. In 1891 Emma Harry won a first prize freshman scholarship of $25 for the best entrance examination from the preparatory school students, and the following year was awarded a similar prize for attaining the highest class ranking.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JQi16xwpTk4/XixtPmI2DYI/AAAAAAAAT-c/SysP2w5e93ouoW7yR531MGZhJcNZjxtewCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1891-92%2BDickinson%2BCollege%2B-%2BTuition%2BFees.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="724" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JQi16xwpTk4/XixtPmI2DYI/AAAAAAAAT-c/SysP2w5e93ouoW7yR531MGZhJcNZjxtewCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1891-92%2BDickinson%2BCollege%2B-%2BTuition%2BFees.JPG" width="636" /></a></div><br />It was exciting to discover that the precocious Harry sisters were continuing their adventures with higher education at a time when women rarely chose such a college career path. In fact few young women in the 19th century could even aspire to an advanced academic degree since almost all American colleges were closed to women. Surely Prof. Harry and his wife saw the opportunity that Carlisle presented for their three daughters and endeavored to prepare them for college when they realized the girls' gifts for language and music. But a connection to a notable Carlisle family may also have influenced the girls' educational prospects.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MLffDRWLeKA/XiyJqnKNxhI/AAAAAAAAT-k/pEGd8gm_msIjacrVNcRITLlkN8liyXaNACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Zatae_Leola_Sturgis_Longsdorff_Straw_-_Crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="735" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MLffDRWLeKA/XiyJqnKNxhI/AAAAAAAAT-k/pEGd8gm_msIjacrVNcRITLlkN8liyXaNACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Zatae_Leola_Sturgis_Longsdorff_Straw_-_Crop.jpg" width="249" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zatae Leola Sturgis Longsdorff Straw <br />(1866 – 1955)<br />Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zatae_Leola_Longsdorff_Straw" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The first woman to graduate from Dickinson College was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zatae_Leola_Longsdorff_Straw" target="_blank">Zatae Leola Sturgis Longsdorff Straw</a> (1866 – 1955). She enrolled in 1884 to study medicine, and graduated from that institution in 1887, becoming a prominent physician in New Hampshire, one of the first female doctors in the state. In the 1920s after women were granted the right to vote, she served two terms in the New Hampshire state legislature.<br /><br />Zatae was the daughter of Dr. William Henry Longsdorff, also a Dickinson alumni. While checking the Carlisle city directories for James B. Harry, I discovered that in 1882 the Harry's lived at 105 W. Louther St., only a quarter mile from the Dickinson Campus, and in 1887 they were a few blocks further away at 43 E. South St. But their previous address at 105 W. Louther St. was now the home and practice of Dr. William H. Longsdorff. And Dr. Longsdorff and his wife had a large family. Not only did their daughter Zatae graduate from Dickinson, but so did her two brothers and two younger sisters, Hildegard and Jessica Longsdorff, all becoming physicians.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />In 1882 Angella Elizabeth Harry joined her sister Emma at Dickinson College, entering as a freshman, Class of '96, also in the Classical Section. My research used some of the Dickinson College catalogs available on Archive.org, but a better source of detail was found in the <i>Microcosm</i>, the college annual, and the <i>Dickinsonian</i>, the college newspaper, both found at the <a href="http://archives.dickinson.edu/collections" target="_blank">Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections</a>.<br /><br />Trying to trace the personal history of a woman in the digital age can be very challenging because inevitably their surname changes to something different upon marriage. Or likewise a some other woman acquires the surname because of marriage. Finding the Harry sisters beyond their time as child entertainers was proving difficult and I was troubled that I was hitting too many dead ends after 1900. So the discovery of all three girls attending Dickinson College seemed an invaluable resource to follow their lives beyond their photographs. What bright adventures awaited these three young women? <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">&nbsp;Sometimes a fairy tale can turn very dark.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mllujFVpDMg/XiyZBbQZfsI/AAAAAAAAT-s/Rjxbv2T-UFgZDxhjeH6Z-nYMtNZFjJMjACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1893%2BMarch%2BDickinsonian%2BIssue_6_Page_16%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="1219" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mllujFVpDMg/XiyZBbQZfsI/AAAAAAAAT-s/Rjxbv2T-UFgZDxhjeH6Z-nYMtNZFjJMjACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1893%2BMarch%2BDickinsonian%2BIssue_6_Page_16%2BD.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dickinsonian<br />March 1893, issue 6, p 16</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">In Memoriam.</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Miss Angella E. Harry, daughter of Prof. J. B. Harry, died at her home on Sunday February 5. She was a lovely and accomplished young girl, and a member of the Freshman Class of Dickinson College. The constant calls of anxious friends at her father's house for weeks before her death, and the sorrow which now fills their hearts, tells the deep hold which this lovely daughter has laid on so many hearts. Her characteristic traits were innocence, simplicity, and truth, fullness, and at the same time, most conscientious obedience to her parents and to the commandments of her Savior. Her illness was marked by a sweet submission and childlike faith.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">At her funeral, Dr. Reed, president of her <i>alma mater</i>, Dr. Harman and Dr. Yocum, spoke in beautiful and touching language of her many virtues, and her fine mental qualities. The College bell was tolled, and the hymn "Safe in the Arms of Jesus," was sung by a choir of students. Four of her classmates were pall-bearers. As a token of respect the Freshman class sent a beautiful floral tribute.</span></span></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GH1p-c6siOs/XiyckgN4UuI/AAAAAAAAT-0/U51AEQ7TL0kS4KdV_w5al8EJdgXrnBp8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Angella%2BE%2BHarry%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="872" height="371" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GH1p-c6siOs/XiyckgN4UuI/AAAAAAAAT-0/U51AEQ7TL0kS4KdV_w5al8EJdgXrnBp8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Angella%2BE%2BHarry%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the Dickinson College annual<br />published later that year,<br />a poem was featured to honor Angella.<br />The poet's initials:<br />E. V. H.—Emma V. Harry</span></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BrMPf77My5c/Xin052yZaMI/AAAAAAAAT94/061LdAhAYR0QwGTwN25IoR5tu87svz8KgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1893-02-05%2B%2BInMemoriam%2B-%2BAngela%2BE.%2BHarry%2BDETAIL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BrMPf77My5c/Xin052yZaMI/AAAAAAAAT94/061LdAhAYR0QwGTwN25IoR5tu87svz8KgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1893-02-05%2B%2BInMemoriam%2B-%2BAngela%2BE.%2BHarry%2BDETAIL.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1892-93 Microcosm., Dickinson College annual<br />Source: <a href="http://archives.dickinson.edu/microcosm/microcosm-yearbook-1892-93" target="_blank">Dickinson College Archives</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In Memoriam<br /><br />Angela E. Harry</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Class of '96</span><br />Died February 5, 1893</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Angela! 'Tis a music-breathing name—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; As sweet and low as gentle zephyr's sigh;<br />We murmur it—we call and call again,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; And wait, with aching hearts, thy soft reply;<br />But ah! thy sister angels claimed their own;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; They called thee ere life's early morn was past;<br />Thy kindred spirit knew their dulcet tones;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; Their mystic spell in love they o'er thee cast.<br />When morning's rosy finger paints the sky,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; And birds of spring well forth their liquid lie,<br />Or when the evening shadows lengthening lie,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; and the wild wind-harps wail their touching moans,<br />We only hear that music-breathing name,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; as sweet and soothing as the zephyr's sigh;<br />And, though with aching hearts we call again,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; We never hear thy gentle voice reply.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; –E. V. H.</span></span></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">This was a devastating shock to the Harry family then, as it was to this researcher now 125+ years later. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Angella E. Harry, born October 21, 1874 in Chambersburg, PA was only 18 years, 3 months old. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">The light of her life was extinguished. H</span>ow painful it must have been for her two sisters.</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">But fortune can be terribly cruel.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M1t8srr2ZFw/Xiyxaq3oV0I/AAAAAAAAT_E/8UBQCnSGm8YGAqv6p7vQzuL9Lk6_3jZLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1895-05-02%2BCarlisle_Evening_Herald%2B-%2BDEATH%2BL_Celestia%2BHarry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="633" height="548" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M1t8srr2ZFw/Xiyxaq3oV0I/AAAAAAAAT_E/8UBQCnSGm8YGAqv6p7vQzuL9Lk6_3jZLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1895-05-02%2BCarlisle_Evening_Herald%2B-%2BDEATH%2BL_Celestia%2BHarry.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carlisle PA <i>Evening Herald</i><br />02 May 1895</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">From a report in the Carlisle <i>Evening Herald</i> <br />published 2 May 1895.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>L. Celestra </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(sic)</span> <b>Harry </b></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-size: large;">Miss L. Celestra, youngest and beloved daughter of Prof. J. V. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(sic)</span> Harry and Emma S. Harry, died at the residence of the parents, No. 514 West Louther street, this morning at 9 45 o'clock, after a lingering illness from a complication of diseases. The deceased was aged 17 years and attended Dickinson College, being a member of the Sophomore class. She was a gentle and kind young lady, respected by her classmates. She was unusually bright and stood high in her class. The hour of funeral will be announced later. </span></span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z_UBuln2YfQ/Xiym-kLJ_LI/AAAAAAAAT-8/LqifA-nncD0PvRktqwxWSr4lPIEa0IAkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/L%2BCelestia%2BHarry%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="780" height="386" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z_UBuln2YfQ/Xiym-kLJ_LI/AAAAAAAAT-8/LqifA-nncD0PvRktqwxWSr4lPIEa0IAkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/L%2BCelestia%2BHarry%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Once again, Emma Viola Harry<br />composed a poem<br />in memory of <br />her beloved younger sister.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cy0nb2F3rMw/Xin1vBPMTuI/AAAAAAAAT-I/x_ImDaxjolE0nLaQhdHPhaaXl8DNRCzogCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1897%2BMicrocosm%2BDickinson%2BCollege%2Bmemoria%2BLC_Harry%2BDETAIL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="800" height="532" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cy0nb2F3rMw/Xin1vBPMTuI/AAAAAAAAT-I/x_ImDaxjolE0nLaQhdHPhaaXl8DNRCzogCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1897%2BMicrocosm%2BDickinson%2BCollege%2Bmemoria%2BLC_Harry%2BDETAIL.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1895-96 Microcosm., Dickinson College annual<br />Source: <a href="http://archives.dickinson.edu/microcosm/microcosm-yearbook-1895-96" target="_blank">Dickinson College Archives</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In Memoriam<br /><br />L. Celestia Harry</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Class of '97</span><br />Died May 2, 1895</span></span></div><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">Bright flowers all around me may bloom,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; With their fragrance scent woodland and lea;<br />But my lily-bud frail is faded and dead.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; And all others are naught to me.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Sweet music entrancing may swell,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; With the cadence that ravished of yore;<br />But the harp-strings I loved are broken and still,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; And these poor chords can charm me no more.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">No more?&nbsp; Nay, beloved, not so,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; 'Twas but born of the moment's pain—<br />For each beauteous thing wafts an echo to me,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; A breath from my lost love again.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; –E. V. H.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The loss of two daughters in less than 15 months must have been a heartbreaking blow to James and Emma Harry, and soul crushing for the eldest sister, Emma.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: large;">The promise of three beautiful girls was reduced to a single hope for one. Lydia Celestia Harry, born October 27, 1877 in Chambersburg, PA was only 17 years, 6 months old at her death on May 2, 1895. </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">In less than two weeks, Emma Viola Harry <br />would sit for her final senior exams. <br />Graduation was scheduled for June 5, 1895</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></b></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">This is the second of three chapters</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">about the Harry sisters.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Stay tuned </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">for <a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-harry-sisters-part-3.html" target="_blank">chapter 3</a> next week.</span></span></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/01/sepia-saturday-505-saturday-25-january.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a></b><br /><b>click the link for more children at play.&nbsp; </b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/01/sepia-saturday-505-saturday-25-january.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/01/sepia-saturday-505-saturday-25-january.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_MOLPvaelO4/XinSnJ29KoI/AAAAAAAB8pU/5Fj8AgNQv3gPUTXaCCn9-cbz1XAVnWq2ACKgBGAsYHg/s400/1912C.08c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-59045041473810887662020-01-18T18:44:00.001-05:002020-06-04T21:52:28.991-04:00The Harry Sisters - part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kVZ8ARkTYoY/Xh8vDQPSh6I/AAAAAAAAT5s/Lgc2kQyokuQM--ByF3lPVjlcVkU5sGxRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Harry%2BSisters%2B1%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1407" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kVZ8ARkTYoY/Xh8vDQPSh6I/AAAAAAAAT5s/Lgc2kQyokuQM--ByF3lPVjlcVkU5sGxRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Harry%2BSisters%2B1%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="562" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Once upon a time</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">there were three sisters</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">who lived in Pennsylvania.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Each was a nimble violinist</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">and a beauty too.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TMXua1AowOA/Xh80zBJVmeI/AAAAAAAAT50/E90j3RU_aMUeREEoFszs5OS-ZDrHMkhrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Harry%2BSisters%2B3%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1352" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TMXua1AowOA/Xh80zBJVmeI/AAAAAAAAT50/E90j3RU_aMUeREEoFszs5OS-ZDrHMkhrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Harry%2BSisters%2B3%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The three girls liked to entertain people<br />with music and literature,<br />playing their violins, <br />singing songs, <br />and reciting long poems and stories<br />sometimes in foreign languages.<br />&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Everyone marveled <br />at how smart the three sisters were.<br />It made their parents proud.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U0l0-oyLYGU/Xh81cwyrAQI/AAAAAAAAT58/YgDePESBa1ocMbmIuc5nUGJr1QlNzBjoACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Harry%2BSisters%2B2%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1401" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U0l0-oyLYGU/Xh81cwyrAQI/AAAAAAAAT58/YgDePESBa1ocMbmIuc5nUGJr1QlNzBjoACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Harry%2BSisters%2B2%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="560" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Their father was a singing master <br />who taught them everything about music.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Their mother was a skilled seamstress<br />who made wonderful embroidered frocks</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">for them to wear when performing.<br />&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Everywhere </span><span style="font-size: large;">the clever sisters went</span><span style="font-size: large;">, <br />they impressed people <br />with their many talents<br />and charming music. <br />&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Their photos could almost be illustrations<br />from a children's book of fairy tales.<br />&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">They were the <b>Harry Sisters</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">and they lived in <br />Carlisle, Pennsylvania. </span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7lEm1U_8au4/Xh81nfBasCI/AAAAAAAAT6A/A4Qv2sRUpxM1MXXgQIIsOOgllqnz7oaRACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Harry%2BSisters%2B2%2Btst%2BCC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1007" data-original-width="1500" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7lEm1U_8au4/Xh81nfBasCI/AAAAAAAAT6A/A4Qv2sRUpxM1MXXgQIIsOOgllqnz7oaRACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Harry%2BSisters%2B2%2Btst%2BCC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">From oldest to youngest<br />their names were:<br /><br /> <b><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Emma Viola Harry,<br />Angella E. Harry,<br />and <br />Lydia Celestia Harry.</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">And once upon an earlier time <br />before they were born,<br />their father <br />helped save the Union<br />for President Lincoln.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BGCXy7XTAa0/Xh-P2PHvNAI/AAAAAAAAT6M/CvFGBxL2AmkkOkLpeyuSPpzAnf85wZlKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Harry%2BSisters%2B1%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1032" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BGCXy7XTAa0/Xh-P2PHvNAI/AAAAAAAAT6M/CvFGBxL2AmkkOkLpeyuSPpzAnf85wZlKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Harry%2BSisters%2B1%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="412" /></a></div><br /><br />This photograph of the three Harry sisters posed with their violins is one of the gems in my collection. The photographer's imprint is difficult to see on the green card mount, but it is the same name as on the later buff card, <b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">J. N. Choate</span></b>, <b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Carlisle, PA</span></b>. His full name was <a href="http://chronicles.dickinson.edu/studentwork/indian/4_choate.htm" target="_blank">John Nicolas Choate</a> (1848–1902) and he became a noted photographer of the students at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlisle_Indian_Industrial_School" target="_blank">Carlisle Indian Industrial School</a>. From the school's founding in 1879 until his death in 1902, Choate produced thousands of photos of Native American children who were sent to this now controversial boarding school run by the Federal government. Over its nearly 40 years of operation until closing in 1918, the Carlisle Indian School accepted over 10,000 boys and girls from 140 tribes around the Unites States, yet only 158 student graduated. Many of those Indian school student photos Choate duplicated by the hundreds for promotional use by the school.<br /><br />In just the same way, Choate's photos of the Harry sisters were printed in multiples to sell as souvenirs at their performances. This artfully arranged cabinet photo probably dates from about 1883-84. On the back are their three names written in a beautiful calligraphy.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LPLLW451X68/Xh-QFPSjNbI/AAAAAAAAT6Q/tnNcdOudmAILxorBwLxtzX_aUTBAgfw4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Harry%2BSisters%2B1%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="1600" height="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LPLLW451X68/Xh-QFPSjNbI/AAAAAAAAT6Q/tnNcdOudmAILxorBwLxtzX_aUTBAgfw4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Harry%2BSisters%2B1%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The girls were the daughters of <b>James Brown Harry</b> and <b>Emma Stuart Harry</b>. James titled himself as <b><i>Prof. J. B. Harry</i></b> as he was a music teacher, specifically a "singing master", giving lessons to individual vocalists and also directing choirs. In the 1880 US Census the Harry family lived in Mount Holly Springs, PA which was then a village 6 miles south of Carlisle with about 1,200 inhabitants. James was age 51, his wife Emma, 37, and daughters Emma V., age 9, Angella E., age 6, and Lydia C., age 3. As Lydia Celestia , the youngest girl in the photo, appears about age 6 this dates the image to 1883-84.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-obmvShJb2aw/Xh-QRIM7pGI/AAAAAAAAT6Y/kosX_lT6t5cE-FQFD1GagYiXgbbdf8lBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1880%2BUS_Census_%2B%2BMount%2BHolly%2BSpgs%2BPA%2B-%2BHarry%2BSisters%2BDETAIL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="900" height="142" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-obmvShJb2aw/Xh-QRIM7pGI/AAAAAAAAT6Y/kosX_lT6t5cE-FQFD1GagYiXgbbdf8lBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1880%2BUS_Census_%2B%2BMount%2BHolly%2BSpgs%2BPA%2B-%2BHarry%2BSisters%2BDETAIL.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1880 US Census Mount Holly Springs, PA</td></tr></tbody></table><br />By this decade Prof. Harry had over 30 years experience working a music teacher in the central Pennsylvania region. Beginning in 1882, his name appears in newspaper reports announcing entertainments by his "educated babies." In October 1883 the Chambersburg PA weekly ran a notice saying the Harry sisters, age 11, 8, and 5 <i>would give&nbsp; readings in English, German, and Spanish and the eldest renders any piece of music handed her on sight, without the aid of musical instruments.</i> <i>The press, wherever they have appeared speak well of them.</i><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ti1ObMx7qHc/XiJY1L5MZRI/AAAAAAAAT7g/zErlgXmkoKsTitL8HgMv9-9Ksy2hVoUmACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1883-10-06%2BChambersburg%2BPA%2BPublic_Weekly_Opinion%2B-%2BEmma%2BAngella%2BCeletia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="743" height="344" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ti1ObMx7qHc/XiJY1L5MZRI/AAAAAAAAT7g/zErlgXmkoKsTitL8HgMv9-9Ksy2hVoUmACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1883-10-06%2BChambersburg%2BPA%2BPublic_Weekly_Opinion%2B-%2BEmma%2BAngella%2BCeletia.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chambersburg PA <i>Public Weekly Opinion</i><br />06 October 1883</td></tr></tbody></table>Some of the venues where the Harry sisters exhibited their talents were "opera houses", which were actually just small town civic theaters. Generally they played in churches or schools with tickets sometimes sold as a benefit. They were not promoted like vaudeville entertainers as Prof. Harry never took out music hall type advertisements. His daughters' concerts were not like a variety act, but instead were a demonstration of their talent using violin music and literary readings.<br /><br />By May 1884 the Harry sisters' local celebrity in Juniata township, about 35 miles north of Carlisle, rated a headline with their name. <i>They played a number of fine selections from the most renouned <span style="font-size: x-small;">(sic)</span> masters and composers in a variety of keys and positions on that most difficult instrument, the violin. They will sing several charming duetts, and a variety of German and English songs. Their readings will consist of prose and poetry from the best authors in the English, German, and Spanish languages. Admission, Adults, 25 cents; Children, 15 cents. Doors open 7:15 P.M. </i><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rTZz7zjRsoc/Xh-QtdGZ9eI/AAAAAAAAT6k/B4K-JzIEqsEUDyZokF1tuAEuzkbpU7ImwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1884-05-07%2BJuniata_Sentinel_and_Republican%2B-%2BHarry%2BSisters%2Bplay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rTZz7zjRsoc/Xh-QtdGZ9eI/AAAAAAAAT6k/B4K-JzIEqsEUDyZokF1tuAEuzkbpU7ImwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1884-05-07%2BJuniata_Sentinel_and_Republican%2B-%2BHarry%2BSisters%2Bplay.jpg" width="365" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juniata PA <i>Sentinel and Republican</i><br />07 May 1884</td></tr></tbody></table>Sometimes the older girls played a word game with Celestia, possibly with a chalk board, that challenged her to spell and translate difficult foreign words and phrases. In Pennsylvania there would be many people familiar with German, though likely in an older form. But there can't have been many Spanish speakers then living in the Carlisle area who could judge the girls' pronunciation. Nonetheless the newspapers reported that people were amazed at their maturity and intelligent erudition. The girls also gave English renditions of humorous stories and traditional poetry, likely chosen for a morally improving message. Their songs would also likely be Christian sacred music, perhaps from the Methodist tradition as that was the faith Mr. and Mrs. Harry followed. <br /><br />From about 1882 to 1890, the Harry sisters performed around central Pennsylvania. Carlisle is only 20 some miles southwest of Harrisburg, the state capitol, so a rail connection allowed Prof. Harry to easily book engagements from 30 to 130 miles from their home.&nbsp; Newspaper reports do not mention Philadelphia or Pittsburgh so it seems the Harry trio never traveled to any big city venues.&nbsp; They were small town folk. Their ambitions did not seek theatrical celebrity.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">&nbsp;* * * *</span></b></span></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">For me the delightful quality of these photos is the way they capture the bright moments of three loving sisters, making them almost like characters from a fairy tale.&nbsp;But just like photographs never reveal the hidden history beyond the camera, fairy tales never tell the full story of a person or a family. Any true tale about children should include the joys and sorrows of real life. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">So because it happens that I have more photos of the Harry sisters to show, and more of their history to tell, I've decided to break up their story into three chapters over the next few weeks. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">But before I finish this chapter<br />I must tell the origin story <br />about the heroic adventures of their father.</span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">&nbsp;* * * *</span></b></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I do not have a photo from the 1880s of James Brown Harry. <br />But I did find a halftone newspaper copy of Prof. J. B. Harry <br />from 30 years later showing a old man <br />with almost a biblical visage. </span></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xUnz8xlpd3k/XiI2i3lJhEI/AAAAAAAAT7Y/352Z6R4ZXKYNQcBW2ws7qwS0ka_MuF15QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1910-07-24%2BBaltimore_Sun%2B-%2BProf%2BJB_Harry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1307" data-original-width="1042" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xUnz8xlpd3k/XiI2i3lJhEI/AAAAAAAAT7Y/352Z6R4ZXKYNQcBW2ws7qwS0ka_MuF15QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1910-07-24%2BBaltimore_Sun%2B-%2BProf%2BJB_Harry.jpg" width="510" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prof. J. B. Harry of New Castle, PA<br />Baltimore MD <i>Sun</i><br />24 July 1910</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>James B. Harry was born on Dec. 17, 1828 in central Pennsylvania. As a young man he demonstrated a talent for teaching music, and for many years traveled around the Harrisburg, Penn. region as an itinerant singing master. In the summer 1863, he was 34 years old, single, and surprisingly not serving as a soldier in the Union Army as so many other men from his state were doing. It was the third year of the Civil War, the great war between the states over secession, and so far the Union army had not fared well in battles against the Confederates. That summer there was a new threat as for the first time, General Robert E. Lee led his Army of Northern Virginia into the north.<br /><br />Lee's objective was Harrisburg, the capitol of Pennsylvania, and then possibly Philadelphia. As his forces moved into Pennsylvania, General Meade's Army of the Potomac followed in hot pursuit. Lee planned a flanking attempt to go around Harrisburg, and on June 28th, 1863 Major General Jubal A. Early's division captured the city of York. Their next target would be to enter Lancaster County by crossing the Susquehanna River at Columbia, PA, about 30 southwest of Harrisburg. This required securing the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia%E2%80%93Wrightsville_Bridge#Second_bridge" target="_blank">Wrightsville Bridge</a>. It was then the world's longest covered bridge, 28 feet wide and 5,620 feet long.<br /><br /><br />At the time James B. Harry was living near Gettysburg, PA and as the war came closer, he experienced a vision that it was God's task for him to locate Lee's army using his intimate knowledge of the area. On the night of June 27th after he learned of the Confederate advance towards York, he drove his one-horse buggy 50 miles north to Harrisburg to warn the governor. Knowing that the Confederate forces were greater than the Federal defense at the strategic Wrightsville Bridge, Harry advised the governor that it should be destroyed before the Confederates seized control. This was so ordered, and when Early's cavalry troops arrived to capture the bridge, it was set ablaze by the Federals preventing any crossing. Lee's forces turned westward and marched instead to Gettysburg, where, from July 1st to July 3rd, 1863, a fateful battle would change the course of the war. <br /><br />Several newspaper accounts of Prof. Harry's ride to Harrisburg were published in 1910, 1911, 1913, and 1914. These coincided with the 50th anniversary of the war, when the public began recognizing that the generation of soldiers who fought in this terrible war would soon be gone forever. As far as I could learn from the archives, Harry never served in the war. At 35 he was beyond the cutoff age for the federal draft. Most of the accounts are written in his own words and covey a strong personality with a devout Christian faith. The length of his stories suggest that he was a man who loved to talk, and show he was also very compassionate. In one long section he recounts an encounter with a free black family who were fleeing the Confederate invasion, naturally fearing capture and enslavement by the Southerners. He stops to comfort them and direct them to safety, assuring them they will be safe in Harrisburg. They thank him for his help and praise him for his respectful tone towards them.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Click this newspaper image to read Prof. Harry's story.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iie75M-6-VQ/XiI1QCX89nI/AAAAAAAAT7Q/k5iJ54sb_tgIe2pEgqa0ooJOEKp8MsMggCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1914-01-23%2BCarlisle%2BSentinel%2B-%2BJB_Harry%2Bsaves%2BUnion%2BDETAIL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1015" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iie75M-6-VQ/XiI1QCX89nI/AAAAAAAAT7Q/k5iJ54sb_tgIe2pEgqa0ooJOEKp8MsMggCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1914-01-23%2BCarlisle%2BSentinel%2B-%2BJB_Harry%2Bsaves%2BUnion%2BDETAIL.jpg" width="406" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carlisle PA <i>Sentinel</i><br />23 January 1914</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Prof. Harry's role in the history of America's Civil War was surely a very minor exploit among the many larger events leading up to the Battle of Gettysburg. As expected for a man in his 80s, the retelling of an adventure 50 years past might easily stretch the truth and misstate some of facts, but there is one interesting part of his story that rings true.<br /><br />On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg to dedicate the Soldiers' National Cemetery. He would only speak at the end of the ceremony following the two hour oration given by Hon. Edward Everett. Lincoln's brief remarks became known as the <a href="http://Gettysburg Address" target="_blank">Gettysburg Address</a>, possibly the most celebrated speech in American history.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">And Prof. James B. Harry was there to hear it.</div><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span style="font-size: large;">When President Lincoln was called to Gettysburg to make the dedicatory address, Prof. Harry was there, and much to his surprise he learned that his aged mother had come from Ohio to see the great emancipator. Prof. Harry led his aged mother into the vast throng, and as there were no seats he was surprised when two soldiers came to them and informed them that President Lincoln had prepared places for them on the platform, as he had learned of Prof. Harry's bravery and devotion to the Union, and especially of his heroic midnight ride for the defense of the state capitol. When they reached the platform President Lincoln greeted them warmly. Mrs. Harry was at that time 75 years of age and had traveled the three hundred miles of her journey from Ohio alone.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Prof. Harry, now venerable with age, attended the semi-centennial anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg last July and there amid familiar scenes of his youth renewed the memories of the past and greeted the survivors of the great struggle for universal freedom.</span></blockquote><br /><br /><br /><br />In November 1863 a few photographs were taken at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery by an assistant of famed photographer Mathew Brady. Because of the way early cameras had to be arranged for outdoor photos, the photographer was a good distance from the speakers platform and the images did not seem worthy of printing at the time. But in <a href="https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2010/11/19/rare-photo-of-lincoln-at-gettysburg/" target="_blank">1952 researchers</a> at the Library of Congress realized that one photo had enough detail when enlarged to show President Lincoln seated on the platform. Analysis of the shadows puts the time of the photo at noon, about three hours before Lincoln made his speech. I can't make out any elderly woman on the platform, but I think somewhere in the crowd is the face of the future father of the three Harry sisters.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TzcIgU9jjOI/XiOOVhyIoPI/AAAAAAAAT74/O82PetaY3kgAIT5tl2h8OqMziPWIjA36gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Lincoln%2Bat%2BGettysburg%2BDETAIL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="1337" height="526" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TzcIgU9jjOI/XiOOVhyIoPI/AAAAAAAAT74/O82PetaY3kgAIT5tl2h8OqMziPWIjA36gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Lincoln%2Bat%2BGettysburg%2BDETAIL.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail from a photograph taken on November 19, 1863<br />by&nbsp; David Bachrach of President Lincoln at the dedication ceremonies <br />at the Soldiers' National Cemetery, Gettysburg, Penn, <br />Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Address" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">In 1913, the year before the last account of Prof. Harry's ride to save Harrisburg, he attended the Gettysburg memorial anniversary and was given the honor of reading Lincoln's famous address. I suspect his daughters knew the words by heart too. Maybe even in three languages.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hbcrye3fWYo/XiNhwzQ5kYI/AAAAAAAAT7s/YFKD9bcYIDYRigyxeFnIZqkkLUS2b9mLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1913-07-03%2BCarlisle%2BSentinel%2B-%2BJB_Harry%2Brecites%2BLincoln%2BAddress.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="505" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hbcrye3fWYo/XiNhwzQ5kYI/AAAAAAAAT7s/YFKD9bcYIDYRigyxeFnIZqkkLUS2b9mLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/1913-07-03%2BCarlisle%2BSentinel%2B-%2BJB_Harry%2Brecites%2BLincoln%2BAddress.JPG" width="434" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carlisle PA <i>Sentinel</i><br />03 July 1913</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">James Brown Harry died in Michigan at the home <br />of his daughter Emma Viola Harry <br />on September 15, 1918. <br />&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">He was just three months short of his 90th birthday.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * * * </span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This is the first of three chapters<br />about the Harry sisters.<br />Stay tuned <br />for <a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-harry-sisters-part-2.html" target="_blank">chapter 2</a> next week.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/01/sepia-saturday-503-saturday-18-january.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a><br />click the link for more beautiful swans.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/01/sepia-saturday-503-saturday-18-january.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/01/sepia-saturday-503-saturday-18-january.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LZEKcnLl4Tw/XiD9XRkghTI/AAAAAAAB8cc/4Z_IZ_-yS_oh69zKDut0kGE9aCaJ-xf-ACKgBGAsYHg/s400/1912C.07c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-2720386647314425902020-01-10T22:05:00.001-05:002020-01-10T22:07:21.493-05:00Kids with Talent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cRUc-hefeVc/Xhig0PCeCrI/AAAAAAAAT4w/hEyiq9jqHaUStyyb19lGHhZozQxZuoFdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Vaudeville%2BString%2BBrass%2BWind%2BTrio%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1299" data-original-width="1300" height="638" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cRUc-hefeVc/Xhig0PCeCrI/AAAAAAAAT4w/hEyiq9jqHaUStyyb19lGHhZozQxZuoFdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Vaudeville%2BString%2BBrass%2BWind%2BTrio%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes the sequins give it away.<br />Costumes with glitter,<br />fringed sleeves, and short skirts<br />are not the clothes regular kids wear.<br />This is the wardrobe of professional entertainers.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p1r6GYKPh6Q/XhihASCGa7I/AAAAAAAAT40/qnZfdFeY3YcTGwpGrgwU0_s3fYZHFOZaACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Bruno%2Band%2BGeorgi%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1431" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p1r6GYKPh6Q/XhihASCGa7I/AAAAAAAAT40/qnZfdFeY3YcTGwpGrgwU0_s3fYZHFOZaACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Bruno%2Band%2BGeorgi%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="536" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Shoes are the best clue.<br />Normal boys in 1900<br />were shod in sturdy, durable boots<br />for muddy streets.<br />Entertainers wore shiny buckled slippers <br />to glide around the footlights of a theater stage.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8hreLyU4Q9s/XhihEsrwC_I/AAAAAAAAT48/CC-JQpWSSlYpf7D8T-1pGKPiOjmBx4BBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Edgcombe%2BSisters%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1421" data-original-width="1400" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8hreLyU4Q9s/XhihEsrwC_I/AAAAAAAAT48/CC-JQpWSSlYpf7D8T-1pGKPiOjmBx4BBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Edgcombe%2BSisters%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="630" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">And well groomed hair is another clue.<br />The fashion of the theater<br />demanded that a child star's <br />coiffure should be perfect,<br />gleaming of scented oil,<br />and every curl in place.<br />&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">An ordinary youth might need to pass <br />their mother's standards <br />only on the weekend.<br />But for a young entertainer to look the part,<br />every day called for their Sunday best.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4k7YgpzsQoc/XhihIpEIPdI/AAAAAAAAT5A/cmKCMBov87sAu4DKPu89829ZY1lSyD6zwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Edgcombe%2BSisters%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1511" data-original-width="1400" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4k7YgpzsQoc/XhihIpEIPdI/AAAAAAAAT5A/cmKCMBov87sAu4DKPu89829ZY1lSyD6zwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Edgcombe%2BSisters%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="592" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The costumes of these seven children<br />reveal them as professional entertainers.<br />Their multiple instruments are evidence of their talent,<br />but it is the confidence in their eyes that shows us<br />they are not ordinary kids.<br />&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">They are <i>artistes </i>of </span><span style="font-size: large;">the musical theater.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJoHXdaPGkc/XhihOb6gNpI/AAAAAAAAT5E/EjcPyL1V25Q_gFMmoOqCfr8AWC87kDXUACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Vaudeville%2BString%2BBrass%2BWind%2BTrio%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1050" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJoHXdaPGkc/XhihOb6gNpI/AAAAAAAAT5E/EjcPyL1V25Q_gFMmoOqCfr8AWC87kDXUACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Vaudeville%2BString%2BBrass%2BWind%2BTrio%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first musical trio of two sisters and older brother<br />are clearly dressed in theatrical garb designed to catch the lights.<br />The two girls hold cornets and centered between them<br />are a violin, clarinet, soprano saxophone and trombone.<br />I would judge their ages at <br />15 for the boy<br />and 14 and 11 for the girls.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Their photo is an unmarked cabinet card, <br />probably sold as a souvenir of their vaudeville performance.<br />&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The only clue is a place name, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Stanley, N.D., </span><span style="font-size: large;">written on the back.<br />In 1910, which is my rough guess as to when this photo was taken,<br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley,_North_Dakota" target="_blank">Stanley</a> was a very small town in northwest </span><span style="font-size: large;">North Dakota<br />with a population then of 518.<br />However it was on the rail line between Chicago and Seattle.</span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CBAmjxiYlAI/XhihTkiiGkI/AAAAAAAAT5I/d2dpcgd_hzoYFQdj0yn5az0WOM0jYNtKACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Vaudeville%2BString%2BBrass%2BWind%2BTrio%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="922" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CBAmjxiYlAI/XhihTkiiGkI/AAAAAAAAT5I/d2dpcgd_hzoYFQdj0yn5az0WOM0jYNtKACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Vaudeville%2BString%2BBrass%2BWind%2BTrio%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="419" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mhi0RJ23lpM/XhihZLki-DI/AAAAAAAAT5Q/XuipX5LztU8zc7_xvvPhVbq8B7NjHrPDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Bruno%2Band%2BGeorgi%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1057" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mhi0RJ23lpM/XhihZLki-DI/AAAAAAAAT5Q/XuipX5LztU8zc7_xvvPhVbq8B7NjHrPDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Bruno%2Band%2BGeorgi%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="422" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The next two boys, are on a German postcard captioned:<br /><b><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Bruno&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Georgi</span></i></b><br /><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Die zwei kleinsten Musik-Virtuosen und Duettisten <br />der Gegenwart. 9 Jahre alt Ohne Konkurrenz – Einzig<br /> dastehend – Violine; Piston un Fanfarentrompete. <br />~</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">&nbsp;</span></i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">The two smallest music virtuosos and duetists <br />of the present day. 9 years old without competition - only<br /> standing - violin; Piston and fanfare trumpet.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Their surname is not noted, <br />but presumably Bruno and Georgi are twin brothers.<br />The piston cornets were not typical for German bands<br />but were more often used by music hall soloists.&nbsp; </span></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The postmark was stamped on 15 September 1914,<br />just a few weeks into the start of the Great War,<br />from Neumünster in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iM_WHIUFALk/XhihdXJrrwI/AAAAAAAAT5U/33MjnMr3cQAsnqhCz5CIwytwz8_59udBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Bruno%2Band%2BGeorgi%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="1400" height="408" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iM_WHIUFALk/XhihdXJrrwI/AAAAAAAAT5U/33MjnMr3cQAsnqhCz5CIwytwz8_59udBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Bruno%2Band%2BGeorgi%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x0TqTuhUhQE/Xhihl5SuJZI/AAAAAAAAT5Y/Z_3WBJbG99sU_Mxj0IZUuP9d12fEIrrnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Edgcombe%2BSisters%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="1600" height="408" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x0TqTuhUhQE/Xhihl5SuJZI/AAAAAAAAT5Y/Z_3WBJbG99sU_Mxj0IZUuP9d12fEIrrnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Edgcombe%2BSisters%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The last two young ladies<br />with shiny blonde hair are definitely sisters.<br />They are pictured on a postcard with the caption:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">The Misses Gertie and Flossie Edgcombe.</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">&nbsp;</span></b><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">The World's Youngest Cornet and Violin Duettists.<br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My guess for their age is 12 and 10.<br />Gertie's string instrument may be a viola <br />as it is larger than Flossie's violin.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The postcard was never mailed<br />but the divided back has a message on the left,<br /><span style="font-family: &quot;times&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br />For INLAND postage only this space<br />may be used for communication.</span><br /><br />This <a href="https://150yearsofpostcards.com/history" target="_blank">dates the card</a> to sometime between 1902,<br />when the British Post Office first allowed <br />messages on the back, and 1906, <br />when messages on the back<br />were permitted for postcards sent beyond the UK.</span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yQxdU4q1KZg/XhihqOzve7I/AAAAAAAAT5g/JWvrqeYX_NobVgrbn5IjuboBdw2ggrDlgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Edgcombe%2BSisters%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="765" data-original-width="1200" height="408" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yQxdU4q1KZg/XhihqOzve7I/AAAAAAAAT5g/JWvrqeYX_NobVgrbn5IjuboBdw2ggrDlgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Edgcombe%2BSisters%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">All of these children were instrumental performers <br />on the music hall and vaudeville theater circuits <br />in the first decade of the 20th century.<br />It was a time when theaters, restaurants, <br />cafes, and even churches<br />regularly booked family friendly entertainment,<br />so it was not hard for parents of talented children like these<br />to find venues to get their kids into show business.<br />It's likely that most of these young stars learned music<br />from one or both of their parents, as musicians, <br />just </span><span style="font-size: large;">like shoemakers and cabinetmakers,</span><span style="font-size: large;">could be a family trade. </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Beyond the footlights, <br />the work must have been very hard for the parents.<br />Negotiating with theater agents; keeping accounts; <br />remembering train schedules; booking hotels;<br />repairing torn shirts; finding lost music; <br />polishing shoes; learning new routines;<br />and above all, <br />managing and protecting your child<br />who has been assigned a role <br />usually expected of an adult pursuing a career.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />&nbsp;What music did they play?<br />How long was their set on stage?<br />When did they learn new material?<br />Where did they find time to be regular kids?<br />&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The answers to these questions and many others<br />may be impossible to know. <br />But at least we have photos to spark our imagination.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/01/sepia-saturday-502-11-january-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>where the kids are all right.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/01/sepia-saturday-502-11-january-2020.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/01/sepia-saturday-502-11-january-2020.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3To4k4akXgI/XhUQvQi9ReI/AAAAAAAB7z0/mvXELpjU7w0Hdl6JunVSNe_g8WplCmxGwCKgBGAsYHg/s400/1912C.06c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-63752762171642895082020-01-03T19:24:00.000-05:002020-01-03T19:24:18.326-05:00To Your Health!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cr9gGy1ChyY/Xg9uLzkXBxI/AAAAAAAAT3c/5n2wx7GJUrUE-fZUEkRc3WKWJDvxaOWngCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Dein%2BWohl%2B1900%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1389" data-original-width="1100" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cr9gGy1ChyY/Xg9uLzkXBxI/AAAAAAAAT3c/5n2wx7GJUrUE-fZUEkRc3WKWJDvxaOWngCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Dein%2BWohl%2B1900%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="506" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Three wishes for the new year:<br /><br />A toast to your good health!</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4tCwmpmgNw/Xg_AaLXny8I/AAAAAAAAT30/056aJoo1vR0wsqe2DXDxgiMjwQZTCAprQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Kneippkur%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="929" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4tCwmpmgNw/Xg_AaLXny8I/AAAAAAAAT30/056aJoo1vR0wsqe2DXDxgiMjwQZTCAprQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Kneippkur%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="494" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">May nature cure any ailment.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">`</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2hj3OUBOLGQ/Xg_Ak1woAmI/AAAAAAAAT34/JAmAfT03y7ABf8nvde1wrY8rQSNty2rUACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Damen%2BOrkester%2B1900%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1085" data-original-width="1440" height="482" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2hj3OUBOLGQ/Xg_Ak1woAmI/AAAAAAAAT34/JAmAfT03y7ABf8nvde1wrY8rQSNty2rUACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Damen%2BOrkester%2B1900%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">And may music always <br />bring you great joy.</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nkIO_E5YGlM/Xg9vCo4IEyI/AAAAAAAAT3k/xxDhSUcdFxwiNF7NIF42g8CHH67bNJJRACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Dein%2BWohl%2B1900%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1076" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nkIO_E5YGlM/Xg9vCo4IEyI/AAAAAAAAT3k/xxDhSUcdFxwiNF7NIF42g8CHH67bNJJRACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Dein%2BWohl%2B1900%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="430" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first young woman<br />offers us a cheery toast <br />to the New Year - 1900.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Dein Wohl!<br />~<br />Your Health!</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This postcard etching was sent from Prague<br />on the 30th December 1899</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cJB3JMcXmMg/Xg9vHYRu1TI/AAAAAAAAT3o/p0yOG6rJAzYBrkmB3-OteB40WcBFBfoZACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Dein%2BWohl%2B1900%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="923" data-original-width="1400" height="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cJB3JMcXmMg/Xg9vHYRu1TI/AAAAAAAAT3o/p0yOG6rJAzYBrkmB3-OteB40WcBFBfoZACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Dein%2BWohl%2B1900%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />&nbsp; <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PPyfsy-vnJE/Xg_AwmaAYoI/AAAAAAAAT38/Ivbhou-YdGADNpXnmj0foUqYSr1t58r3QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Kneippkur%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1057" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PPyfsy-vnJE/Xg_AwmaAYoI/AAAAAAAAT38/Ivbhou-YdGADNpXnmj0foUqYSr1t58r3QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Kneippkur%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="422" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">&nbsp;The second young lady</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">thoughtfully contemplates something,<br />perhaps the beauty of flowers,<br />as she enjoys a refreshing foot bath.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><i>Kneippkur</i><br />~<br />Kneipp's Cure</span></span><br /><br />Kneipp was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastian_Kneipp" target="_blank">Sebastian Kneipp</a> (1821 - 1897), a Bavarian priest <br />who developed the naturopathic medicine movement. <br />His "Kneipp Cure" was a form of hydrotherapy that used <br />various methods of applying water at different temperatures <br />and pressures for therapeutic effect.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It was sent on the 26th January 1899<br />to Fräulein Emmy Tehle,<br /><i>Hochwohlgeboren </i>~ </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="st">High Well-born,<br />of Starnberg, Bavaria.</span></span><br /></div><br /><br />&nbsp; <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NxPM4bumCFI/Xg_A4aTA29I/AAAAAAAAT4E/McfVw8iG5mUngOFC_LXMhCbCQoe0PH69gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Kneippkur%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="915" data-original-width="1400" height="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NxPM4bumCFI/Xg_A4aTA29I/AAAAAAAAT4E/McfVw8iG5mUngOFC_LXMhCbCQoe0PH69gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Kneippkur%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HxzKkLbzPT8/Xg_BALVCrVI/AAAAAAAAT4I/qxlE8jKSsDYSl0Ya-o1mCfWUbRhKGg9gwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Damen%2BOrkester%2B1900%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="1600" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HxzKkLbzPT8/Xg_BALVCrVI/AAAAAAAAT4I/qxlE8jKSsDYSl0Ya-o1mCfWUbRhKGg9gwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Damen%2BOrkester%2B1900%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The five charming women in this third etching<br />perform on violins, viola, cello, and double bass as a<br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><i>Streichquintett </i>~ String Quintet</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This Austrian postcard was sent on the 27th April 1900<br />addressed with a most artful calligraphy to</span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><i>Spanilomyslná slečna</i><br />Anna Lynsova (?)</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The honorific is in Czech<br />but I could not find it in Czech-English dictionaries.<br />I believe it means something like "Enchanting Miss",<br />or possibly it is an archaic phrase used for nobility like </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Hochwohlgeboren</i></span>.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The message on the front reads:<br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><i>Zasilám prvý to listek umelecký </i><br />~<br /><span class="tlid-translation translation" lang="en"><span class="" title="">I send the first letter of art</span></span></span></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mis2BS9N7us/Xg_BF6DQ1_I/AAAAAAAAT4Q/plO88Jo92Z0bQ3k-Ty5JXi0iREqocnRlQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Damen%2BOrkester%2B1900%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1500" height="414" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mis2BS9N7us/Xg_BF6DQ1_I/AAAAAAAAT4Q/plO88Jo92Z0bQ3k-Ty5JXi0iREqocnRlQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Damen%2BOrkester%2B1900%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The sketches on these postcards<br />were produced by the Austrian artist</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><a href="https://www.martindulouvre.com/artists/torggler/" target="_blank">Herman Torggler</a>, (1878-1939).<br />&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Previously his artwork was featured in<br /><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2019/11/ein-schones-madchen.html" target="_blank">Ein schönes Mädchen</a> <br /><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2019/08/up-up-and-away.html" target="_blank">Up, Up, and Away!</a> <br />and<br /><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2019/03/austrian-postcard-girls.html" target="_blank">The Girls of Austrian Postcards</a>.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>&nbsp;</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/01/sepia-saturday-501-4-january-2020.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a><br />where a smile is always welcome.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/01/sepia-saturday-501-4-january-2020.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2020/01/sepia-saturday-501-4-january-2020.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZJYyzVzuLs/Xg8Nw57PfSI/AAAAAAAB7os/OVk17Q3i7cMPW1vwLREkLLVnqAba23uAwCKgBGAsYHg/s400/1912C.05c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-77511372695490106912019-12-19T14:31:00.002-05:002019-12-19T20:29:12.006-05:00Gingerbread Children<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xMJ_HY2O8yc/XflfgBNZcsI/AAAAAAAAT0M/FLgqErw7NRk6QfldIt76P-JOwiv8PWkBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B1%2B%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1534" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xMJ_HY2O8yc/XflfgBNZcsI/AAAAAAAAT0M/FLgqErw7NRk6QfldIt76P-JOwiv8PWkBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B1%2B%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="612" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's not exactly a photograph<br />or a watercolor,<br />but a hybrid illustration<br />for a well known children's story.<br />Two youngsters, <br />a little girl and boy<br />sit at low worktables<br />assembling bundles of tree switches.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Do you know the tale?</span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ug-1T50y1VE/Xflf698qbeI/AAAAAAAAT0Y/RhEP9qRftrcy5Xd1sXShJnSKemXsenk0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B3%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1600" height="624" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ug-1T50y1VE/Xflf698qbeI/AAAAAAAAT0Y/RhEP9qRftrcy5Xd1sXShJnSKemXsenk0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B3%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The same two children are next pictured <br />in a misty forest kneeling in prayer.<br /><br />Recognize the story?</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zzxfu6TWFto/XflgSwSsEjI/AAAAAAAAT0s/fJk0q4cVzJg1-0dADcBDIh3iewEYNIKugCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B6%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1550" data-original-width="1600" height="620" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zzxfu6TWFto/XflgSwSsEjI/AAAAAAAAT0s/fJk0q4cVzJg1-0dADcBDIh3iewEYNIKugCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B6%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">One more clue<br />as the boy and girl stand in front <br />of an old woman outside a curious small hut.<br /><br />It's a grim old yarn<br />that everyone knows.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Did you guess it yet?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This classic fable<br />was set to music<br />and became a popular opera.<br />Perhaps you know the composer,<br />Herr Humperdinck?</span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qk75u-uHsBM/Xflg10UIKzI/AAAAAAAAT1M/74xLlSWrnisZ5zJQztlzqmqfxxubxDklACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Humperdinck%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="989" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qk75u-uHsBM/Xflg10UIKzI/AAAAAAAAT1M/74xLlSWrnisZ5zJQztlzqmqfxxubxDklACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Humperdinck%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="394" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">He is best known <br />by his mellifluous full name, <br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engelbert_Humperdinck_(composer)" target="_blank">Engelbert Humperdinck</a> (1854-1921),<br />He is the original artist whose work deserves <br />more credit than the British pop singer Arnold Dorsey <br />who borrowed the name in 1965. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The preceding images </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">depict&nbsp;scenes from Humperdinck's famous opera </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Hänsel und Gretel.</i></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">They were used on <br />a series of nine souvenir German postcards.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VRcoOQLa4wo/Xflg7yl-yfI/AAAAAAAAT1Y/imnBxzESbEYR_eI0D_KaAgc5tKFKqthrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B1%2B%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1053" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VRcoOQLa4wo/Xflg7yl-yfI/AAAAAAAAT1Y/imnBxzESbEYR_eI0D_KaAgc5tKFKqthrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B1%2B%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>I<br />Ach, käm doch die Mutter nun endlich nach Haus!</i><br />~<br />Ah, I hope Mother will not be too long!</span></span></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here is a <a href="https://youtu.be/Fz-zQBvTbiU" target="_blank">clip</a> of the music <br />that goes along with this scene <br />in the first act of Hänsel und Gretel<br />from a 1981 film directed by August Everding<br />with Edita Gruberova as Gretel, <br />and Brigitte Fassbaender as Hänsel.</span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>* * *</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fz-zQBvTbiU" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>* * *</b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fiCA1Ot1_fg/Xflh8q_ob3I/AAAAAAAAT1k/mWWn5iQ4FPsmybNskXRc7X4kgLUWQZrPACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B2%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1031" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fiCA1Ot1_fg/Xflh8q_ob3I/AAAAAAAAT1k/mWWn5iQ4FPsmybNskXRc7X4kgLUWQZrPACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B2%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="412" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>II<br />Kuckuck, Kuckuck. Erbelschluck!</i><br />~<br />Cuckoo, cuckoo. Strawberry stealer!</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwtf8VZoO9g/XfliCn0FXPI/AAAAAAAAT1o/w8T00Seo0VIX3EDEZOlVoBQn4ICT9lE_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B3%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1044" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwtf8VZoO9g/XfliCn0FXPI/AAAAAAAAT1o/w8T00Seo0VIX3EDEZOlVoBQn4ICT9lE_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B3%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="416" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>III<br />Abends will ich schlafen gehn,<br />Vierzehn Englein um mich stehn!</i><br />~<br />When I lay me down to sleep,<br />fourteen angels watch do keep!</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This next video <a href="https://youtu.be/96pW-o2tzjA" target="_blank">clip</a> plays this fearful scene in the forest,<br />perhaps the most well-known music in the opera.<br />Again it's from the same 1981 film of <br />Hänsel und Gretel<br />with Edita Gruberova as Gretel,<br />and Brigitte Fassbaender as Hänsel.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>* * *</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/96pW-o2tzjA" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>* * * </b></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3wrs176pKiA/XfliKfbVAQI/AAAAAAAAT1s/e1fGBBdABOc3yxDSDZ2eljGYoxFa3DowgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B4%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1048" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3wrs176pKiA/XfliKfbVAQI/AAAAAAAAT1s/e1fGBBdABOc3yxDSDZ2eljGYoxFa3DowgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B4%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="418" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">IV<br />Hänsel und Gretel schlafend im Wald.<br />~<br />Hansel and Gretel sleeping in the forest.</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1lKrvhBhZVc/XfliP_ETp7I/AAAAAAAAT10/F3OH1plo4j8R6XZNWUGhSoy23cm6Gj5kACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B5%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1083" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1lKrvhBhZVc/XfliP_ETp7I/AAAAAAAAT10/F3OH1plo4j8R6XZNWUGhSoy23cm6Gj5kACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B5%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>V<br />Knusper, knusper, Knäuschen.<br />Wer knuspert mir am Häuschen?</i><br />~</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Nibble, nibble, mousy,<br />who’s nibbling at my housy?</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JyVastRubaI/XfliXTU0A_I/AAAAAAAAT18/FzpGh4ChM1MsOx4XjiRWsJwEcV0QRp_UQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B6%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1026" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JyVastRubaI/XfliXTU0A_I/AAAAAAAAT18/FzpGh4ChM1MsOx4XjiRWsJwEcV0QRp_UQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B6%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>VI<br />Hei, wie das schmeckt, 's ist gar zu lecker</i><br />~<br />Ha, what a taste! It’s simply scrumptious</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3GhhrcnfWDo/XfliemOyD9I/AAAAAAAAT2E/e0ZHvSXENNU7VM8VykDxtRq0wPGND1l7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B7%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1034" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3GhhrcnfWDo/XfliemOyD9I/AAAAAAAAT2E/e0ZHvSXENNU7VM8VykDxtRq0wPGND1l7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B7%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="412" /></a></div><i><br /></i><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>VII<br />Was willst Du meinem Bruder thun? </i><br />~<br />What do you want with my brother?</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MVhhI77sHHA/XflirYFmlfI/AAAAAAAAT2M/Ppi_ZdJ4YWIGpQFcQ8XwdUzpDM5uAEGpACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B8%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1044" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MVhhI77sHHA/XflirYFmlfI/AAAAAAAAT2M/Ppi_ZdJ4YWIGpQFcQ8XwdUzpDM5uAEGpACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B8%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="416" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>VIII<br />Kinder, schaut den Zauberknopf, <br />Äuglein stehet still im Kopf!</i><br />~<br />Children, watch the magic knob, <br />your eyes of movement I do rob!</span></span><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here is another <a href="https://youtu.be/k2QEdEHKYiM" target="_blank">clip</a> <br />of Humperdinck's fantastic music for </span><span style="font-size: large;">the Witch's aria</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />this time in a concert version with full orchestra<br />sung by the American mezzo-soprano, Jamie Barton.<br />It's in German but with English subtitles.</span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>* * *</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k2QEdEHKYiM" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>* * *</b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mCq19Rf7RlE/XflgmJjZsAI/AAAAAAAAT1Q/LXiXgf0dhagy8caRSw-EER6v2cCvExNyACEwYBhgL/s1600/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B9%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1047" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mCq19Rf7RlE/XflgmJjZsAI/AAAAAAAAT1Q/LXiXgf0dhagy8caRSw-EER6v2cCvExNyACEwYBhgL/s640/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B9%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="418" /></a></div><i><br /></i><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i>IX<br />Und bist Du dann drin, schwaps! <br />Geht die Thür, klaps! </i><br />~<br />And when you're in there, slam! <br />The door goes wham!</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">So the wicked witch <br />meets with her dreadful demise.<br />The other stolen children <br />that she turned into gingerbread <br />are restored to life.<br />And Hansel and Gretel's parents rescue them<br />bringing the story <br />and the opera to a happy end.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The English translations are by Avril Bardoni<br />from a libretto prepared for <br />a 2016 Live Recording<br />of the Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin<br />under Marek Janowski.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;courier new&quot; , &quot;courier&quot; , monospace;">* * *</span></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This set of nine postcards were sent from Augsburg, Bavaria<br />beginning on the 20th September, 1899 <br />and finishing on the 25th.<br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hansel_and_Gretel_(opera)" target="_blank">Hänsel und Gretel</a> premiered<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 23 December 1893 at the Hoftheater in Weimar<br />under the direction <br />of the composer/conductor Richard Strauss.</span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0cHxbBinHAs/Xfli2bC4rhI/AAAAAAAAT2Q/hEK-pY2_OPwkde5DVBepxUUlH2EfE-rkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B6%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="1500" height="412" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0cHxbBinHAs/Xfli2bC4rhI/AAAAAAAAT2Q/hEK-pY2_OPwkde5DVBepxUUlH2EfE-rkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B6%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">All the postcards were sent<br />to a </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fräulein Gerty Hefselberger</b><br />of <i>?somewhere?</i> in Germany.<br />The address script on each postcard, <br />neatly written in beautiful calligraphy,<br />is in an antique German cursive <br />that is too difficult </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">for this American</span> to decipher,<br />so the location of Gerty's hometown is a mystery.<br />Postcard #6 above has the best postmark.<br />The name "Gerty" is more clear on postcard #7<br />but I'm still uncertain if I have the spelling correct.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MPLlYrACLTM/XfuaqzC-KeI/AAAAAAAAT24/EIrtKk2Uni0Jq0T0AAj62h21OvYQ-7hdACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B7%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1500" height="258" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MPLlYrACLTM/XfuaqzC-KeI/AAAAAAAAT24/EIrtKk2Uni0Jq0T0AAj62h21OvYQ-7hdACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B7%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">On the right border of each postcard is the publisher's name:<br /><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><b>Verl. v. C. Seyd, Boppard</b><br /><i>Gesetzlich geschütz</i> ~ Protected by law</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Boppard </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">is a small city <br />in the Rhineland-Palatinate district of Germany</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">a</span>nd it was where Engelbert Humperdinck<br />built a grand house in 1896 after Hansel and Gretel <br />proved to be a runaway hit. <br />&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Earlier in his career Humperdinck met Richard Wagner,<br />who invited him to assist in the Bayreuth production of <i>Parsifal</i>,<br />and serve as a music tutor to Wagner's son, Siegfried.&nbsp; </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">So it's not surprising that Humperdinck<br />composed the music for Hansel and Gretel <br />in a Wagnerian style with full orchestra&nbsp; <br />and with the two principal voices, Gretel and Hansel,<br />sung by a soprano and mezzo-soprano respectively.<br />Obviously the children on this postcard set<br />are not depicting the actual opera characters<br />but only the Brothers Grimm story line.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">But on the left border is a long caption.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Nach Originalaufnahmen der Kinder des Komponisten <br />mit dessen gütiger Erlaubniss<br />~</span></i><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Based on original recordings of the composer's children <br />with his kind permission</span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_gJSwY_iXAw/XfuRtZCZ2HI/AAAAAAAAT2s/KwPlEhjXQ-IwhROmK2foY9-9sj7yiCM_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B2%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="900" height="358" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_gJSwY_iXAw/XfuRtZCZ2HI/AAAAAAAAT2s/KwPlEhjXQ-IwhROmK2foY9-9sj7yiCM_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B2%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I interpret this to mean <br />that the two children used <br />in this charming hybrid illustration <br />were the son and daughter of Engelbert Humperdinck <br />and his wife,&nbsp; <a href="https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Taxer-2" target="_blank">Louise Hedwig Taxer Humperdinck</a> (1862-1916).<br />Hansel was portrayed <br />by <a href="https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&amp;sl=de&amp;u=https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfram_Humperdinck&amp;prev=search" target="_blank">Wolfram Humperdinck</a> (1893-1985) their only son.<br />and Gretel was his sister,&nbsp; Edith Humperdinck, <br />later Edith Hötzendorfer, (1894-?).</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wolfram first studied painting and sculpture in Berlin<br />before going to Leipzig to take up music.<br />He went on to become a successful opera conductor<br />and in 1921 was appointed director <br />of the Landestheater in Neustrelitz. <br />It was while attending Wolfram's </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="notranslate">premiere </span>production<br />of <i>Der Freischütz</i> that his father Engelbert <br />suffered a heart attack and died following the performance</span><span style="font-size: large;">. <br /> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">This postcard caricature of Engelbert Humperdinck<br />holding hands with two little children<br />likely dates from 1910-1920<br />and demonstrates the affection<br />and popularity he gained with this one opera.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ycWcRCkS6Og/Xfli9TAU2jI/AAAAAAAAT2U/yMA0V35Vv6MpgCdvxdurLSTzLXffZFs9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Humperdinck%2B2%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1005" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ycWcRCkS6Og/Xfli9TAU2jI/AAAAAAAAT2U/yMA0V35Vv6MpgCdvxdurLSTzLXffZFs9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Humperdinck%2B2%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engelbert_Humperdinck_(composer)" target="_blank">Engelbert Humperdinck</a> wrote seven more operas, <br />several using children's stories like <br /><i>Die sieben Geißlein</i> (The Seven Little Kids), 1895;<br /><i>Königskinder</i> (King's Children), 1897, 1910;<br />and <i>Dornröschen</i> (Sleeping Beauty), 1902.<br />But none matched the international success<br />of his first work, <i>Hänsel und Gretel</i>,<br />which is now a favorite musical for the holiday season<br />in opera houses around the world.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n4ldO10YGIg/XfuR3bGYUTI/AAAAAAAAT2w/Cw75ISS7BUQTdbMvwHX-8GFTn1LEFwLoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B2%2Btst%2BC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1532" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n4ldO10YGIg/XfuR3bGYUTI/AAAAAAAAT2w/Cw75ISS7BUQTdbMvwHX-8GFTn1LEFwLoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Hansel%2B%2526%2BGretel%2B2%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="612" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2019/12/sepia-saturday-500.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday No. 500</a><br />for which I am ever grateful<br /> for its weekly inspiration<br />and am honored to participate <br />with so many fine enthusiasts of&nbsp; old photographs.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2019/12/sepia-saturday-500.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2019/12/sepia-saturday-500.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8qBZY7yRLx0/Xe-mO8uy8SI/AAAAAAAB608/eoF3U4kTXsg5ffekebE6CZvwcZ8LhWmqgCKgBGAsYHg/s400/191129A.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447020772809150478.post-18510234627645061082019-12-06T16:56:00.001-05:002019-12-06T16:56:49.891-05:00Men with Sticks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cTbJvy5I_Wk/Xehvwrwqh_I/AAAAAAAATxw/qDLrMrL6iZ4YGQc0heR0liDKprO7ztBvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/London%2BConductor%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1403" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cTbJvy5I_Wk/Xehvwrwqh_I/AAAAAAAATxw/qDLrMrL6iZ4YGQc0heR0liDKprO7ztBvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/London%2BConductor%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="560" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">An orchestra conductor's baton <br />seems to have special powers.<br />With a wave of his hand, <br />like a magician he flourishes it <br />to conjure up a bevy of musical rabbits.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />But it's an illusion.<br />The baton is really just a stick.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IY3h5YY0KA4/Xehv_WI5QuI/AAAAAAAATx0/3OndNE6doccjcH8rrMJPTinI-3J6JM3qQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/English%2BBandmaster%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="1229" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IY3h5YY0KA4/Xehv_WI5QuI/AAAAAAAATx0/3OndNE6doccjcH8rrMJPTinI-3J6JM3qQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/English%2BBandmaster%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="530" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">For a bandleader<br />a baton acquires a more military bearing<br />as he wields a stout staff<br />in rigorous beats.<br />&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">But it's still a stick.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m8hBRTJBKO0/XehwIAE_oBI/AAAAAAAATx4/0tsBTHMYZF0TCgTVP_rZKyT-wXojBNDyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Long%2BStick%2BConductor%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="879" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m8hBRTJBKO0/XehwIAE_oBI/AAAAAAAATx4/0tsBTHMYZF0TCgTVP_rZKyT-wXojBNDyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Long%2BStick%2BConductor%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="638" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some conductors<br />prefer a longer baton<br />to slash the air like a pirate's cutlass <br />fending off an onslaught of menacing notes.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />Yet despite the sharp point,<br />it's a thin wooden stick.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eRiuCpoY84M/XehwNBhqThI/AAAAAAAATx8/w_LSNQN5zq0Zfyyb_mDY7DWGYwy-o3VJACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Albany%2BNY%2BBandleader%2BEcho%2BCornet%2Btst%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="978" height="402" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eRiuCpoY84M/XehwNBhqThI/AAAAAAAATx8/w_LSNQN5zq0Zfyyb_mDY7DWGYwy-o3VJACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Albany%2BNY%2BBandleader%2BEcho%2BCornet%2Btst%2BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">For other conductors<br />a baton is a scepter of musical authority<br /> embellished in silver and gilt<br />commanding the attention of both musicians and audience.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />But notwithstanding the tap on the podium stand,<br />a baton is incapable of making music by itself.<br />&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's just a stick<br />&nbsp;pointing at invisible sounds<br />and directing the traffic of musical noises.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">* * *</span></b></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gs9MebOLAz4/XehwVucNXtI/AAAAAAAATyA/VTsXEFWZMCIJ8Z0gn746JH-M_RXJz4iOACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/London%2BConductor%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1018" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gs9MebOLAz4/XehwVucNXtI/AAAAAAAATyA/VTsXEFWZMCIJ8Z0gn746JH-M_RXJz4iOACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/London%2BConductor%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="406" /></a></div><br />The first image shows an orchestra conductor dressed in classic formal white tie and tailcoat. He is wearing white gloves with a baton that is no slender switch but a short cane, not unlike a percussionist's drumstick. This cabinet card photo was produced in the studio of Vernon in London, at 28 Jubilee St., off of Commercial Rd., about halfway between Limehouse and Whitechapel in east London. The gentleman's wonderful handlebar mustache and the photograph's style date it to around 1895.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-30mrF-V4ELY/XehwaLbIckI/AAAAAAAATyI/m90EidcqITs3kw_1kWHdMdb6_e41yP3WgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/London%2BConductor%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1019" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-30mrF-V4ELY/XehwaLbIckI/AAAAAAAATyI/m90EidcqITs3kw_1kWHdMdb6_e41yP3WgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/London%2BConductor%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="406" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">* * *</span></b></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XjrRzd0T3FE/XehwfIsVBiI/AAAAAAAATyQ/vvigbq2T84gf1_vra1K0afJc0QKcCEnXACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/English%2BBandmaster%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="963" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XjrRzd0T3FE/XehwfIsVBiI/AAAAAAAATyQ/vvigbq2T84gf1_vra1K0afJc0QKcCEnXACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/English%2BBandmaster%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" width="384" /></a></div><br />The second conductor is a bandleader who wears a military frock coat and forage hat typical of a British bandmaster. The style of coat is identical to the formal uniform of a member of the British Royal Household Cavalry, the Blues &amp; Royals.<br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ciu3ZnvCpo/Xeq5auitP4I/AAAAAAAATzg/9iMuFKRtw-MtLsMjMaBT50BJV23EZNsdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Frock%2Bcoats%2B1900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1224" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ciu3ZnvCpo/Xeq5auitP4I/AAAAAAAATzg/9iMuFKRtw-MtLsMjMaBT50BJV23EZNsdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Frock%2Bcoats%2B1900.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1900 Tunic and Frock Coat, Household Cavalry<br />Source: <a href="http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/2018/05/what-groom-wore-prince-harrys-frock-coat.html" target="_blank">Two Nerdy History Girls.blogspot.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />This photo was also made in London by one of the studios of Hellis &amp; Sons, probably at their head studio at 160 High Street, Camden Town, NW, London. This location is a short walk northeast from Regent's Park which features a popular bandstand near the boating lake in the south corner of the park. &nbsp; <br /><br />On 20 July 1982 the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonated two bombs during&nbsp; pubic events in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Park_and_Regent%27s_Park_bombings" target="_blank">Hyde Park and Regent's Park</a>. The first explosion came from a car bomb set off along the route into Hyde Park by the daily changing of the guard procession going from their barracks in Knightsbridge to Horse Guards Parade. Four soldiers of the Blues &amp; Royals died and several other soldiers and a number of civilians were severely injured. Seven horses were also killed.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The second bomb exploded beneath the bandstand in Regent's Park while the band of the Royal Green Jackets was performing for a crowd of 120 people. Of the 30 bandsmen, seven were killed while the rest were wounded. Eight civilians were also injured. These horrific acts of terrorism happened shortly after my first arrival in London, and only the day before I had walked along with the cavalry procession near Hyde Park.<br /><br />I estimate this bandmaster's photo dates a few years later than the previous cabinet card, perhaps around 1905. The print now has a dark green cast rather than a faded sepia tone. But through the magic of digital processing I was able to restore the contrast to bring out the shiny black satin of the bandmaster's ribbon festooned coat. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MVuuTLUpmWg/XehwjgbGzPI/AAAAAAAATyU/me2_ihlk9b4YVDK9c1otmUv6BxYVDRlgQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/English%2BBandmaster%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1103" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MVuuTLUpmWg/XehwjgbGzPI/AAAAAAAATyU/me2_ihlk9b4YVDK9c1otmUv6BxYVDRlgQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/English%2BBandmaster%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="440" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">* * *</span></b></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jKSwpRocPYk/XehwoYzqi_I/AAAAAAAATyc/Pm_rzNG42HAepZcE-IiGTnGlrJuA-jwdACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Long%2BStick%2BConductor%2Btst%2BA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1064" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jKSwpRocPYk/XehwoYzqi_I/AAAAAAAATyc/Pm_rzNG42HAepZcE-IiGTnGlrJuA-jwdACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Long%2BStick%2BConductor%2Btst%2BA.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br />The third conductor is another unknown orchestra director dressed in white tie and tailcoat. His baton is about 28"-30" long, a style no longer in fashion as a conductor's instrument. Maneuvering a long baton needs plenty of free airspace. Conductors can accidentally clip a baton on a music stand, or worse on a soloist, losing control of the stick and sending it flying into the air. It's also been known for a conductor, while passionately gesturing their hands in counter motion, to stab themselves in the left hand with the sharp point of the baton.<br /><br />This photo is a small 4"x6" sepia tone print that I believe dates from around the 1920s-30s. He is a young man, in his twenties I think, with an American face, but his mustache may make him British.<br /><br />Another curious thing about "baton" is that the word has two pronunciations in English. Americans say "bah-Ton" with the accent on the second syllable, but in Britain it "Batt-on" with the stress on the first, similar to the French pronunciation of "<i>baton</i>" which ironically translates as "stick". In German it is called a <i>"Taktstock</i>", or "clock stick".<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">* * *</span></b></span> </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OYOCloQKNKU/XehwvYypkRI/AAAAAAAATyk/vlB20TlLLOsn5e2jBKw1yRWmOpkDogxegCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Albany%2BNY%2BBandleader%2BEcho%2BCornet%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1108" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OYOCloQKNKU/XehwvYypkRI/AAAAAAAATyk/vlB20TlLLOsn5e2jBKw1yRWmOpkDogxegCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Albany%2BNY%2BBandleader%2BEcho%2BCornet%2Btst%2BAA.jpg" width="442" /></a></div><br />The fourth conductor is another band director. He is dressed in a quasi-military uniform with fancy brocade and shoulder bars in gold braid, but he is a civilian and not a member of a service band. He also wears white gloves holding a wooden, or maybe ivory, baton with ornamental silver grip and tip.<br /><br />He is seated in large chair at the Knrapp photography studio of 32 North Pearl St., Albany, New York. This is a slightly over large cabinet photo that I think dates from around 1905 to 1915.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gBI66I_15eo/XehwzUXpccI/AAAAAAAATys/-LlE6plDx5wmQ17sqE-voyoATzAf94XGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Albany%2BNY%2BBandleader%2BEcho%2BCornet%2Btst%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="862" height="372" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gBI66I_15eo/XehwzUXpccI/AAAAAAAATys/-LlE6plDx5wmQ17sqE-voyoATzAf94XGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Albany%2BNY%2BBandleader%2BEcho%2BCornet%2Btst%2BB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Besides the absence of a mustache, what makes this man different from the other conductors, is that he does have a musical instrument with him. On the table next to him is an unusual cornet with what looks like a muffler attached to one side. It is an Echo Cornet, a novelty brass instrument that combined a regular cornet with a plumbing extension for a muted effect. Using an extra valve depressed by a finger on the left hand, the sound is diverted from the bell into a can with a small exit hole, essentially a muffler, that lets the musician instantly play in "echo" mode. It's a musical effect that horn players regularly do using just their right hand in the bell, but evidently cornet players are less adept and need mechanical help.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LG_8B1ub3Lc/Xehw43d5TZI/AAAAAAAATy0/cY_LANyNvswusF0tuDg0_9dNl-SnS37GACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Albany%2BNY%2BBandleader%2BEcho%2BCornet%2Btst%2BD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="744" height="564" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LG_8B1ub3Lc/Xehw43d5TZI/AAAAAAAATy0/cY_LANyNvswusF0tuDg0_9dNl-SnS37GACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Albany%2BNY%2BBandleader%2BEcho%2BCornet%2Btst%2BD.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Here's short video of the "Echo Cornet" as demonstrated by the great trumpet/cornet virtuoso, Crispian Steele-Perkins. The piece is the&nbsp; 'Tit Willow' song, from The Mikado (1884-85) composed by Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900).&nbsp; <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>***</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HPwlafkbvdY" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>***</b></div><br /><br />In America during the 19th and early 20th century, many band directors, self-titled "Professor", also played a solo instrument like the cornet. In photographs such doubling conductors felt a need to display both their baton and their instrument. Because of this man's unusual cornet, I'm hopeful I might one day discover his name in a newspaper review.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0B3XEiiDCV8/Xehw_HZmkiI/AAAAAAAATy8/qQiHSsppi-wYGvsP0VqeeVuj60o5hpPqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Albany%2BNY%2BBandleader%2BEcho%2BCornet%2Btst%2BE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="1086" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0B3XEiiDCV8/Xehw_HZmkiI/AAAAAAAATy8/qQiHSsppi-wYGvsP0VqeeVuj60o5hpPqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Albany%2BNY%2BBandleader%2BEcho%2BCornet%2Btst%2BE.jpg" width="381" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">For more youthful variations <br />on this theme of conductors see:</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2013/09/boys-with-sticks.html" target="_blank">Boys with Sticks</a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2017/06/boys-with-sticks-2.html" target="_blank">Boys with Sticks 2</a><br /><a href="https://temposenzatempo.blogspot.com/2017/12/boys-with-sticks-3.html" target="_blank">Boys with Sticks 3</a></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is my contribution to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2019/12/sepia-saturday-499-7-december-2019.html" target="_blank">Sepia Saturday</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>where good photos are always available over-the-counter.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2019/12/sepia-saturday-499-7-december-2019.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2019/12/sepia-saturday-499-7-december-2019.html" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RoGXxdkSFzk/Xeko1xxD1oI/AAAAAAAB6js/-djVdttqRBoJRDbPXDaLmg5gfJK1BUt8QCKgBGAsYHg/s400/191101G.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Mike Brubakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.com3